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.