By INDARJIT SEURAJ Thursday, October 22 2009

Three Chaguanas residents were yesterday sentenced to a total of 36 months in prison for stabbing and robbing a United States citizen last Friday.

Magistrate Andrew Stroude passed sentence on the three accused and hinted to them of the old adage, “never bite the hands that feed you.”

“The same people you rob, stab and leave by the wayside, are the same people who bring money into our economy,” Stroude said, in the Port-of-Spain Tenth Court.

“Foreigners are not here to be used and beaten,” he added.

The suspects comprised siblings Phillip and Christine Baptiste, as well as Phillip’s girlfriend Crystal Rampersad.

Rampersad, 19, who admitted to stabbing the tourist in his back as he struggled with his robbers, was sentenced to eight months’ simple imprisonment despite her role in the crime.

Christine, 21, was ordered to serve 18 months in jail. According to the evidence led by the prosecutor Sgt Wayne Mohammed, she was the main orchestrator of the crime. Stroude said despite the story put forward by the defence, Christine could not have known exactly where the taxidriver hid his knife.

“It is clear to me that this was a robbery, a set up in other words,” said Stroude. Her brother Phillip was slapped with 20 months’ hard labour, after the facts showed the victim was severely beaten and bruised. The incident took place at the Cocorite fish market, just before Peake’s Hardware on the foreshore.

The victim, 34-year-old Stephen Makinen, an engineer of Connecticut, was liming at Studio Bar on Ariapita Avenue last Friday, when he met Rampersad and Christine.

They started drinking together and on deciding to get dinner, Christine ‘hired’ a taxi to pick them up.

Also in the taxi with the driver was Phillip.

They took Makinen to the fish market, where he was beaten, stabbed and robbed of his cellphone and $300 cash. A team of officers patrolling the market saw the bleeding tourist and arrested the suspects.