A JURY sworn to hear evidence in an armed robbery trial was excused yesterday while lawyers for the prosecution and the accused held legal discussions with the presiding judge.

Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs ordered the nine-member jury to return to the Supreme Court on Thursday, July 28, as the discussions concerning the case of 26-year-old Vinson Ariste were expected to last as many as three days.

Ariste is charged with two counts of armed robbery and a single charge of receiving, all of which he denied when the charges were read to him before the jury yesterday.

It is alleged that he, on July 20, 2010, robbed Kyle Godet at gunpoint of a $1,200 gold chain, a gold ring with a black opal stone bearing an eagle eye, a $400 Seiko watch, a $500 iPhone and a $700 black Acer laptop.

It is further alleged that he held up and robbed Kerry Knowles of a $50 Nokia cellphone and $120 cash.

Ariste is also alleged to have dishonestly received the laptop, knowing that it had been obtained or appropriated by the commission of an offence.

The accused has retained Dorsey McPhee to defend him. Ambrose Armbrister is prosecuting the case.

By Lamech Johnson, Tribune Staff Reporter

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