MONTEGO BAY, St James — A chilling daylight robbery that left a woman with a nose injury and an injured foot has now landed one of her alleged attackers, Rayon Riley, in the dock of the St James Parish Court.

Riley appeared before presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton on Wednesday, facing a charge of robbery with aggravation. However, his legal representation has not yet been finalised.

The incident unfolded on the afternoon of July 15, about 2:20 pm, in the usually quiet parking lot across from the old hospital in Montego Bay, St James.

According to the police report, Riley and another man approached the female vendor as she operated her stall. Without warning, the duo forcibly dragged her into a section of the nearby old hospital grounds.

Once there, the situation turned menacing. Riley allegedly told the complainant he had a gun and demanded that she hand over any money she had. When she insisted she had none, the violence escalated. The woman was struck in the face, sustaining an injury to her nose, and her throat was reportedly squeezed during the ordeal. In the struggle, she fell, injuring her right foot.

Fearing for her life, the woman eventually relented and told Riley that the money was hidden in a cigarette pan. Riley then instructed his accomplice to retrieve it. The man complied, grabbing the pan — which contained cigarettes valued at $6,300 — along with two bottles of rum worth an additional $2,000.

The matter was reported to the police and Riley was subsequently arrested and charged. During a caution statement, he distanced himself from the attack, allegedly telling the police, “A nuh me, a mi fren do the robbery and me run behind him.”

Despite that Judge Fairclough-Hylton ordered that Riley be remanded and scheduled the matter for case management on July 30.