Scotia bank robbery case starts

Witnesses today began giving evidence in the aggravated burglary of the Black Rock branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia on January 27, 2015.

Malcolm Marlon Archer, of Lowthers Hill, Christ Church is being tried for the crime. He is charged with entering the financial institution as a trespasser and stealing $14,573 in cash while armed with a gun.

The accused, who is in his mid 20s, pleaded not guilty to the charge and the case against him got underway in Supreme Court No. 5A before Justice Christopher Birch and a nine-member jury.

Today, six people gave evidence including tellers from the bank, the then manager and assistant manager as well as police and a top official from a nearby supermarket.

Answering questions from the prosecutor Senior Crown Counsel Olivia Davis, a female teller told the court that she was at her wicket when a masked man who was wearing shades, with a green plastic bag in hand entered.

“He pointed the gun at me and told me to fill the plastic bag with money . . . and he move to the next wicket . . . . I placed the money in the bag . . . and he came back to my wicket and I pushed the bag through the hole with the money . . .and he ran off,” the woman said.

The witness went on to say that she could not identify the culprit because the person was wearing a mask at the time.

When Archer, who is representing himself asked the witness: “Did you see me rob the bank?” She replied, “No”.

A balancing teller also told the court that she had just began putting money out for one of the tellers when she was told to ‘put the cash back and lock up the wicket’.

As she was doing that she noticed an individual wearing a scarf to the top of his face and on the bottom, with large shades and wearing a striped shirt and light blue skinny jeans. “I didn’t see him clearly because he was backing me . . . I did not see his face clearly.”

Through cross-examination Archer also asked the witness whether he was the person who robbed the bank and she responded that the person’s face was covered.   

The Chief Executive Officer of a nearby supermarket in Black Rock said he had parked his vehicle and was getting out when he saw “a young man” running towards him.  “He was running from the east to the west, away from Black Rock Road towards Deacons. When I opened the door it was blocking his path and he was shouting ‘Get out the way. Get out the way’.

“He appeared tall. He was uniquely slim, very slim and he had a mask over his face. I think he had a gun in the left hand and some other object in his right hand and was running very rapidly, running really fast.”

However, the CEO said he did not see the person’s face.

The case against Archer was then adjourned to continue on Wednesday at 9:15 a.m. Tomorrow arguments will be made in the absence of the jury.