THE continuation of the trial of Constable Horace Roberts, the alleged mastermind of a slew of robberies involving returning residents, and his two co-accused was on Wednesday stalled in the Gun Court due to the illness of the defence attorney.

The matter was set for mention on August 30 after the court was informed that attorney Peter Champagnie was ill and would not be available. A date for the trial to continue is expected at that time.

Ten witnesses have so far testified out of an expected 40 in the trial that started on November 16 last year.

Roberts, 37, and his alleged accomplices – 30-year-old Richard Ewart, a former employee of the Ministry of Labour, and carpenter Robert Hurd – were arrested in a sting operation by members of the Flying Squad on October 21, 2005.

The men were arrested along the Norman Manley Boulevard around 8:00 pm by the police who were trailing them from the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. The men were allegedly found with a number of stolen items.

Hurd, Ewart and Roberts – who was at the time assigned to the Mandeville Police Station in Manchester – are charged with more than 20 counts of robbery with aggravation.

The crown, led by Acting Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Lisa Palmer, is alleging that over a period of months ending in October 2005, Roberts and his cronies followed their victims from the airport to their destination, waited until they unloaded their luggage, then robbed them at gunpoint.

Twenty-six returning residents are scheduled to testify during the trial, which is expected to run into next year.