🔒 Failed appeal: Tortuga robber's prison term remains unchanged

Richard Edward Nash, who was convicted of armed robbery at the Tortuga liquor store in 2020, has failed in his attempt to have his prison term reduced. The 28-year-old was sentenced to twelve years and ten months for his role in the crime. The Cayman Islands Court of Appeal ruled that the sentence was not excessive, given the circumstances of the robbery. Nash was found guilty of robbing the store at Governor’s Square in February 2020 along with co-defendant Kasnique Patrice Austin-Cupid, a former employee at the store, and another man who was never caught.

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During the robbery, Nash and his unknown partner, armed with knives and wearing masks, subjected store staff to a violent attack. They made off with CI$2,361 and US$181. The court found that Cupid had orchestrated the robbery to pay off a debt and had recruited Nash. Nash appealed his sentence, arguing that it was too harsh and that Cupid, the alleged mastermind, received a lesser sentence. However, the court ruled that the sentence was not excessive, considering the severity of the crime and Nash's role in it.

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The judge had carefully considered the aggravating and mitigating factors applicable and taken into account Nash’s risk of re-offending and low literacy level, which made him easy prey to someone like Cupid. However, she concluded that his conduct during the commission of the offence and its seriousness weighed heavily in favour of personal deterrence, rehabilitation and protection of society.

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