Roland Flowers, who was recently released from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, (KHMH) after sustaining chop wounds during an attempted robbery, appeared in the #1 Magistrate’s Court of Chief Magistrate Margaret Gabb-McKenzie this morning, where he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted robbery.
Flowers, who lives on Neal Pen Road, attempted to rob Justice of the Peace Modesto Madrill along with another young man whom police are still attempting to locate.
On the night of Tuesday, April 28, the two would-be robbers, one of whom was armed with a handgun, entered Madrill’s Magazine Road grocery shop and attempted to rob him, after one of them ordered a bottle of wine.
However, what unfolded is a story in itself, as the fifty-eight-year-old Madrill was not about to yield to the young robbers’ demand to hand over his cash. In an effort to protect himself and his property, Madrill got a hold of Flowers and the two struggled for a while.
Flowers then instructed his accomplice to shoot Madrill, but when the young man pulled the trigger of his gun, it jammed and he, sensing the danger of the situation, bolted, leaving Flowers behind.
Flowers was eventually overpowered by Madrill, who, during their scuffle, inflicted several chop wounds to his body. Madrill’s son, Earl, who was at home when the incident occurred, rushed to his father’s assistance, after he called out for his help. Flowers was badly beaten by Madrill and his son; in the process he received several chop wounds.
Both Madrill and his son detained Flowers until police arrived and took him away. Because of the severity of his injuries, he was first taken to the KHMH for treatment.
When the Chief Magistrate asked Flowers if he had anything to say, before she passed sentence on him, Flowers replied that he wished to say nothing.
Gabb-McKenzie then told him that the penalty for attempted robbery was the same as if he had committed the robbery. She told him that it was a serious offence for which he was before the court.
When she asked him if it was the first time that he was coming to court, Flowers answered that he had appeared in the court before to answer to a burglary charge.
The Chief Magistrate then sentenced him to five years in prison.