Guilty pleas entered at first day of January 2009 Assizes

By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

~~Adz:Right~~BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THREE individuals confessed to their wrongdoings yesterday at the Basseterre High Court of Justice during the commencement of the January 2009 Criminal Assizes and are scheduled to return to the court tomorrow (Jan 15) for their sentencing hearings.

Vernon Simon, Kevin Bergan and Nias Dasent, who were charged for separate and varying offences, were brought before the Basseterre High Court for their arraignment and pleaded guilty after indictments were read to them.

Simon pleaded guilty to burglary. According to the indictment, on the night of May 25, 2008 he broke into the dwelling place of a woman with intent to commit a felony, rape.

Twenty-year-old Bergan was charged with one count each of “house breaking and larceny” and “receiving”. According to the indictment, Bergan, on March 26, 2008, broke into the dwelling place of Lorraine Hendrickson and stole items including a cellular telephone. The items are to the value of EC$299. He pleaded guilty to the first count and the second was withdrawn.

Dasent, who is co-accused of Ryan Warner and Alfred Heyliger, was charged of “house breaking and larceny” and “receiving”. All three of them were accused of breaking into the dwelling place of a man and stealing two DVD players, one polo shirt, one blender, one pair of computer speakers, one pair of computer headphones, two bag packs, one pack of briefs (3pk), one bottle of Chanel perfume, one pair of shoes, one pair of gold knobs and one bottle of apple cider among others things. The items were valued at EC$4 370.

Dasent and Warner appeared before the court and while Warner pleaded not guilty Dasent admitted guilt. Because he pleaded guilty to the first count, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) requested the court to withdraw the second count.

The three guilty men were remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison until the date of their sentencing hearings.