Paramaribo, Suriname (CMC) — A High Court judge has sentenced a 25-year-old police officer to 18 years in prison after he was found guilty of a series of robberies.
Justice Danielle Karamat Ali said Murwin Vyent had used his service weapon, police techniques and identification papers to break the law he had sworn to uphold.
The court was told that during each of the robberies Vyent had identified himself as a policeman before committing the crime.
In March this year he is alleged to have kidnapped two people after stopping their car, forcing one of them into the trunk of the vehicle at gunpoint and robbing the other of jewelry, gold and cash.
The following month the court heard he snatched a bag containing cash and other valuables from a man on the street.
He also robbed another man in April.
The victim said in court that he was sitting outside a bar when Vyent stopped, got out of his car and asked whether there were people selling drugs in the area. Vyent then hit him with the butt of his gun and robbed him.
The court was also told that the policeman and an accomplice had planned to rob a courier delivering merchandise to stores, but that the driver managed to escape a fake roadblock set up by the policeman.
Public Prosecutor Shanta Mahadew had demanded six years for the kidnappings, 10 years for the two robberies and two more years for the attempted robbery.
Justice Ali agreed and sentenced the police officer to 18 years.