Chef jailed for hijacking taxi with ex-lover, robbing driver, beating woman 

Aug 10, 2024 News

---

Kaieteur News – A 38-year-old sushi chef was on Friday slapped with four counts of Robbery Under Arms (RUA), and unlawful wounding when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The Chef, Deon Braithwaite, pleaded guilty to the five charges and was sentenced to two years in prison for each charge which will run concurrently.

Braithwaite reportedly hijacked a taxi his 49-year-old ex-lover, whom he assaulted, threatened and robbed, was traveling in. He also did the same to the driver of the vehicle.

The Chef also robbed Mishael Carrasquillo, a US- based citizen and Audel Roberts. Braithwaite was also charged with unlawful wounding committed against Carrasquillo.

The RUA charges state that Braithwaite on August 2, 2024 at Durban Backlands, Georgetown in the vicinity of Davis Memorial Hospital, while being armed with a knife robbed Audel Roberts of one Toyota Allion bearing registration number PAH 2112 and valued $4,350,000.

The defendant also robbed Roberts of one Motorola radio set and $30,000 cash. According to the charge, Braithwaite also robbed Carrasquillo, of $75,000.

During the court proceedings, Braithwaite pleaded guilty and apologized to Roberts, who was present at court. He said, “Sir, I know you have kids and I apologize to you, I was frustrated and I did commit the act, I apologize.”

Following his admission, Magistrate Annette Singh sentenced him to two years in prison for each charge, which will run consecutively.

Meanwhile, Carrasquillo told Kaieteur News that the incident occurred between 22:00h and 24:00h on the day in question, when she was entering a taxi following a visit to her aunt. Roberts, who drove the taxi, was relieved of his  vehicle and Motorola radio set associated with the Confidential Taxi Service.

The mother of two said that at about 16:30h on Friday last, she visited her aunt in Durban Street, Georgetown, who is known to the Braithwaite. During her visit he reportedly shared distasteful comments with her. As such, she asked her aunt to call a taxi.

When the taxi driver arrived, Carrasquillo ventured to the vehicle, while Braithwaite followed her. “When I open the front seat he said don’t go in the front, go in the back seat as a passenger,” Carrasquillo related, while citing that she told him she travels in the front seat of her ride (taxi).

Carrasquillo, while attempting to enter the vehicle in the front passenger’s seat, was reportedly dragged by her hair, and had her head slammed to the exterior of the car by Braithwaite. The woman managed to enter the vehicle and Braithwaite entered the said car and instructed Roberts to drive, while threatening him by saying, he will shoot and kill them both.

“He throw the wig (the wig Carrasquillo had on) out of the window and told the driver to lock up all of the windows,” Carrasquillo said.

Following that she claimed that he then pulled out a gun and started to hit her with it in the region of her head, face and about her body. “I kept leaning by the driver area and say quietly, no, no station, station, crash the car, do something, but the driver was scared,” the woman related.

Furthermore, Carrasquillo related that as they approached Davis Memorial Hospital, Braithwaite instructed Roberts to exit the motor vehicle to which he did and ran back to the northern direction leaving Carrasquillo screaming and crying for help.

Carrasquillo said she attempted to escape by placing her feet out of the door but failed, after Braithwaite drove off with an alleged fast rate of speed. “He made a turn and my foot was being dragged and the light was on in the car. And that’s the main reason I was so happy that the light was on, so if anyone pass and they see the light on, they can see that something was going on with this car and it’s not normal,” she said.

Due to her feet being out, Braithwaite reportedly stopped the vehicle, and allegedly slammed the passenger’s door towards her feet, in an effort for her to keep her feet inside of the vehicle.

The woman told Kaieteur News, “So he stopped the car and he came towards me and attempted to lock the door so the light can come off and I start fighting.  I said in my mind, if you are going to kill me, let me go fighting for my life.”

Carrasquillo said that after he realised she would not place her feet inside the car, he proceeded back to the driver’s seat and continued to drive.

“He said I am going to kill you, I said don’t kill me you (Braithwaite) already got my money just don’t kill me, please don’t kill me, don’t let my kids have to come and bury me, I have a granddaughter she is only a year old, please don’t kill me.”

Following her plea, the woman said that he parked the vehicle in a location on Hadfield Street, and ran away. Carrasquillo, then highlighted that she found her phone in the vehicle and called her aunt, who put her in contact with someone who informed her that Roberts reported the matter and police were in the area.

Police were later summoned and the victim was rescued. She was escorted to the Brickdam Police Station, where the matter was filed and she was subsequently transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to receive treatment for her injuries. Carrasquillo received stitches to her face, sustained a foot sprain and was later discharged from the hospital. On Tuesday, Braithwaite was arrested by police.

---

• arrest, Deon Braithwaite, Hijacked, jailed, Mishael Carrasquillo

---