Mill Reef Robbery Trial Nears End After Judge Visits Scene and Accused Gives Unsworn Statement

A judge-alone trial into the armed robbery of three elderly Mill Reef Club residents is expected to conclude soon after the court visited the crime scene and heard an unsworn account from the accused on Wednesday.

Justice Ann Marie Smith conducted a locus at the property where the April 6, 2022 robbery occurred, viewing the cabana and interior of the home to better assess the evidence already presented.

Marlon Carr, a Fort Road resident charged with three counts of aggravated robbery, later addressed the court from the dock without being cross-examined. He claimed he drove a friend and his cousin to Mill Reef to collect a vehicle and later encountered them struggling with two elderly people before leaving. That version contrasts with a police statement read earlier in the trial, in which Carr initially said he went alone to meet a visiting woman, but later acknowledged giving friends a ride to the area and assisting in restraining a fleeing victim.

The complainants — a married couple and their female houseguest, all in their seventies — testified that three masked men armed with knives ambushed them by the pool, bound them with duct tape and stole phones, iPads, jewellery valued at about US$10,000 and more than US$1,100 in cash. The houseguest said sentimental jewellery belonging to her late husband was taken. The male complainant described being forced to open a safe, while his wife said she was bound, robbed and left with minor injuries.

During cross-examination, the victims acknowledged the intruders appeared familiar with the home’s layout but confirmed they never saw the attackers’ faces and do not know Carr.

One former co-accused pleaded guilty in 2024 and was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison, while charges against another were dropped. The Crown is proceeding against Carr alone, with closing arguments set for Friday.

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