Man robbed at gunpoint in his own house, court hears
A father-of-two today described having a gun held to his chest during a daylight robbery in his Southampton home.Gregory Wilson, a self-employed former jeweller, told Supreme Court he was home alone when he heard voices coming from his son’s bedroom last December 6.He found three men in helmets standing in the room with a fourth climbing through a window.“I kind of startled them,” he said. “They had their backs to me.“The one closest to the door turned to face me, and when he turned I noticed that he had a gun stuck in his pants.“When he saw me he instantly stepped back, pulled it out and pointed it at me with his left hand sideways. I could see his hand shaking.”Asked how close he was to the gun, he said it was pressed against the centre of his chest.Mr Wilson described a second man as lighter skinned than the first and wearing a red bandana over the lower half of his face.He said that man was also wielding a gun, and demanded money and jewellery.Mr Wilson said he initially refused to hand anything over.“That’s when he clicked it. He cocked the gun and pointed it at me. That’s when I took [my watch] off. I’m not going to lose my life for a watch.”He said the man in the red bandana ordered him into his own bedroom where two of the men grabbed an estimated $65,000 of jewellery, much of which Mr Wilson said he had made for his wife himself.Mr Wilson said he became angry and began shouting and cursing at the men, at which point the man in the red bandana turned, causing his bandana to fall below his chin and exposing his face.Shortly after, the four men made good their escape, running towards the former Sonesta hotel staff quarters.Seventeen-year-old Leo Burgess stands accused of one count of aggravated robbery with a firearm and one count of possessing a firearm while being a minor in connection with the incident.He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.Crown counsel Nicole Smith said that police investigating the robbery discovered latex gloves and a red bandana near the former Sonesta staff quarters.She also said that DNA evidence had linked Mr Burgess to at least one of the items.The trial will continue this afternoon.