The trial of a Sandys man accused of robbing another man of $150 ? and later warding him off with a knife ? got underway in Supreme Court yesterday.

Denton Jermaine Parris, 33, of Cochrane Road, denies the charge a robbery while armed with a knife, which allegedly took place on March 5, 2003 in Sandys.

He claimed in a statement to Police that his alleged victim, Gilbert Clayton Smith, gave him the money in exchange for marijuana.

Senior Crown counsel Lloyd Rayney told the nine-woman, three-man jury how Parris allegedly flagged down Mr. Smith on Malabar Road, Sandys.

Mr. Smith offered him a ride, they drove for a few minutes and discovered Parris knew Mr. Smith?s wife.

While Parris got out of the car at his destination, he allegedly grabbed $150 in three $50 bills out of the ashtray and ran off.

Mr. Smith attempted to stop him but Parris brandished a 12-inch knife, which Parris denies ever having so Mr. Smith left the scene.

When he returned to his car, he noticed Parris had left behind a helmet. Mr. Smith travelled directly to the Somerset Police Station with the helmet, which Parris later admitted to possibly leaving in the car.

On March 7, Parris was arrested in connection with the crime. He was interviewed by Police about it on three separate occasions.

Mr. Rayney told the jurry that Parris lied to the Police during his interviews.

Parris reported to Police he lived at Cochrane Road, Sandys but on the third interview he said he no longer lived there and instead lived with friends.

?Parris claimed Smith wanted to buy marijuana so he took the money from him,? said Mr. Rayney.

The court heard Parris was identified by Mr. Smith in a line-up.

In his opening statement, Mr. Rayney told the court: ?The main witnesses will be Police officers, and you will here from Mr. Detroy Bean, the landlord of Parris? mother?s house where the crime allegedly took place.?

Police officer Patrick Rock told the jury that Parris told Police in a statement that Mr. Smith asked him for some marijuana, to which Parris said he needed to go to his mother?s house to get a scale.

Parris went on to claim that Mr. Smith gave him $125 and waited in his car while Parris went into his mother?s house.

When Parris returned with the marijuana, he showed it to him in the car but told him that he couldn?t give it to him there because his mother?s landlord was watching.

Mr. Smith allegedly made some ?noise?, gripped Parris? shirt, then left, Det. Con. Rock said.

The Court also heard that Parris admitted that Mr. Smith bought ?herb? from him before and that he comes around his neighbourhood to obtain it.

P.c. Kenny Dottin told the court that ?a Mr. Smith? came to the Somerset Police station and reported the incident but he could not remember his first name.

He said: ?Mr. Smith described the attacker as between 5?5? and 5?8? tall, black male, and he was aware where he lived.?

On re-examination Mr. Rayney asked P.c. Dottin if Mr. Smith had given any other description.

P.c. Dottin replied: ?Yes, he said the attacker had a space between his front teeth.?

Mr. Rayney asked P.c. Dottin if he knew Parris had a space between his teeth.

After glancing at Parris for a brief moment, P.c. Dottin said: ?I am not sure if he has a space.?

Next to take the stand was Mr. Bean, who told the court that he returned home between 1 p.m. and 1.30 p.m. on March 5, 2003 and spent two to three hours fixing his truck.

He described seeing an old white Nissan car drive into his yard with two men in it.

He watched as Parris left the car and went into his mother?s apartment, which is below Mr. Bean?s house.

After about 20 minutes he returned and got into the car and the two men drove off.

Mr. Bean said he did not recognise the driver of the car.

Lawyer Victoria Pearman told Mr. Bean that in a statement he made on March 9, 2003 he told Police he had not seen the defendant on the day of the incident.

Mr. Bean denied telling Police that, but he admitted to signing all of the statements he made to Police and that he was given the opportunity to read them.

He submitted that the Police got the times mixed up in the statement which was not in his handwriting.

The trial resumes today in front of Assistant Justice Archibald Warner.