PHILIPSBURG--Collin Anthony James (31), who was sentenced on March 15 to ten years in prison for three armed robberies committed in Philipsburg in July 2017, had his appeal against his conviction rejected by the Joint Court on Thursday.
During the appeal hearing, which took place November 15, the Solicitor-General had called on the Joint Court to uphold the 10-year sentence.
The Court of Appeals found James guilty of robbing three Front Street businesses: Oops clothing store on July 12, 2017, Alberto’s Fashion on July 15, 2017, and Divinitii Jewellers on July 17, 2017. The Court did not find deprivation of liberty proven.
In these three robberies at businesses the victims were threatened with a knife or with a firearm. In one of the robberies the victims were locked up in a storage room.
The Court held it against the defendant that he had committed similar crimes in the past. James had just been released from prison on June 5, 2017, after serving a sentence of 14 years and eight months for nine violent crimes, when he committed the new series of robberies.
The defendant has been detained in the Netherlands since November 2017. During the hearing of this case, attorney-at-law Safira Ibrahim had said her client should be acquitted of unlawful restraint for lack of evidence.
She said her client pleaded guilty where his involvement in the Divinitii robbery was concerned. The lawyer said he should be acquitted of all other charges for lack of legal and convincing evidence.
“I don’t want to be a monster no more. I’m tired of being in jail all the time,” said James in his efforts to convince the three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals of his intentions to make an end to his career as a “revolving-door” criminal. He said he wants to better his life. He is currently studying in prison and said he wants to start a new future with his family in the Netherlands after his release.
