Burglar guilty

After five months of trial and an hour and 15 minutes of deliberations a nine-member jury today found Corey Omar McDonald Noel guilty of burglarizing a St George house while brandishing an offensive weapon.

Noel had denied entering the home of Virginia Challenor as a trespasser and stealing $157 in cash, a pair of earrings worth $100, a chain worth $150, a pendant worth $500, two rings worth $10,150 belonging to her as well as two shotguns worth $12,000 and 100 rounds of ammunition belonging to George Challenor on December 8, 2011 all while he was armed with a sword. He was 29 years old at the time.

However, after hearing evidence from 25 witnesses – 15 for the prosecution and 10 for the defence – in the No. 5 Supreme Court since September 2018, the jury returned around 2:30 p.m. with a unanimous verdict today at the Cane Garden, St Thomas court.

Following the conviction an officer from the Criminal Records Department revealed that Noel – who was clad in a long-sleeved fuchsia shirt, black bow tie and black pants with his hair styled in one – had six convictions to his name starting in 1998 including theft, criminal damage and burglary.

“Do you accept those convictions?” Madam Justice Jacqueline Cornelius asked the convicted man.

“I ain’t got nothing to say,” was Noel’s reply before a pre-sentencing report was ordered on him.

Senior Crown Counsel Krystal Delaney and Crown Counsel Neville Watson prosecuted the case while Noel was self represented.