Pilgrim robbery with fake gun earns 10 year sentence
A 28-year-old Panamanian, was sentenced on Saturday,afternoon January 26 to 10 years in prison for aggravated robbery with a fake wooden pistol of a Colombian World Youth Day (WYD), pilgrim earlier in the day .
Oscar Rodríguez stole the a bag with a WYD logo which held a passport belongings, prayer books, $20 and a cell phone belonging to the pilgrim returning to his home in Linda Vista, San Miguelito, at 12.30 a.m. after after participating in the Way of the Cross on the Cinta Costera the previous day
In the afternoon of the same day, Rodriguez was aken to a hearing before a judge of guarantees.
The prosecutor said that with the fake weapon in hand, the thief followed the pilgrim, yelling at him to stop; When he reached the entrance to the residence, he put the gun to the pilgrim’s face and and took the WYD bag.
The pilgrim ran to a police patrol car which, with the victims aboard chased Rodrigues who threw the bag away and was captured as he tried to climb a wall to escape.
The judge said that although the gun was made of wood the pilgrim did bit know that and the thief had the intention of armed robbery.
He warned that the sentence for aggravated robbery goes from 7 to 12 years and in this case could reach up to 18 years, Because the victim was a foreign tourist.
The sentence was reduced to 10 years because the thief pleaded guilty.