A serial offender with prior robbery convictions has received a 30-month custodial sentence for assaulting and robbing an elderly British tourist during a shore excursion in St. John’s. Junior Emmanuel of Federation Road was sentenced today at the St. John’s Magistrates’ Court, where Chief Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel delivered the verdict for the brazen daylight crime committed in late November 2025.
The judicial proceedings revealed that on November 29, 2025, the UK pensioner was exploring the historic district of the capital city while her cruise ship prepared for departure. Emmanuel targeted the visitor near the prominent Cathedral Church, executing a violent snatch-and-grab operation that left the victim injured on the ground.
Court documents detailed how the assailant violently seized the woman’s fanny pack from behind with sufficient force to break the strap and throw her to the pavement. The stolen belongings included essential travel documents, a mobile phone, and currency totaling approximately $1,400 EC (Eastern Caribbean dollars).
In a fortunate turn of events, a conscientious bystander discovered the discarded pouch containing the passport hours after the incident and facilitated its return to the tourist’s vessel. Meanwhile, law enforcement authorities successfully tracked and apprehended Emmanuel on the same day as the criminal act.
The convicted felon, whose criminal history demonstrates repeated involvement in robbery-related offenses, will serve two years and six months imprisonment with credit applied for time already spent in custody since his early December arrest.