By PAVEL BAILEY
A MAN was charged in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday with several offences, including rape and armed robbery.
Christopher Forbes, 25, appeared before Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans to face a charge of rape, causing wounds, housebreaking and two separate counts of armed robbery
On May 6 in New Providence, Forbes, armed with a cutlass, is accused of having had sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent. He is also charged with stealing her $1,000 Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone, a Samsung J4 plus phone worth $200 and her AirPods valued at $50.
He is further accused of breaking into Shantell Gardner’s home in the Carmichael Road area on May 8. There he is alleged to have wounded Ms Gardner before stealing $34 from her armed with a shard of glass.
In court, due to the serious nature of his offences, he was not required to enter a plea, but was informed that his case would proceed by way of a Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI).
Forbes was further informed that his trial would be heard in the Supreme Court, where he can also make a formal bail application. Until bail is granted, Forbes will be sent back to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS).
Before being escorted from the courtroom Forbes told the court that he has had a violent history since his teenage years. He then said that prison has made his life worse, calling it “chaos” there.
Speaking directly to the magistrate, Forbes said that he is tired of living this way - hurting people and begged Magistrate Vogt-Evans for help.
In response, the magistrate told him that if he wanted help, he could start by helping himself, finding God and following the law to function in a civilized society.
Forbes is expected in court on July 27 for service of his VBI.
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