PHILIPSBURG--Two 20-year-old men were sentenced Wednesday to 28 months, 12 of which were suspended, on two years’ probation for having committed an armed robbery at a Chinese supermarket in Dutch Quarter.

“I didn’t think,” said Hemar M. Edwards (20) Wednesday in explaining why he had committed the November 3, 2009 robbery. The rigger at a Cole Bay shipyard said he needed to buy some parts for his motorbike which he wanted to use during the St. Maarten Day celebrations on November 11.

Edwards, who was wearing a Halloween mask, had stormed the store together with Coia O. Wenham (20), who was also standing trial on Wednesday. Wenham had been wearing a straw hat during the robbery. A third suspect, only identified as “Akeem,” who had provided the gun that was used in the attack, is still at large.

Two supermarket employees were held forcibly, after which the robbers made away with US $200. “I only wanted some cash,” said Edwards during his trial. “I did not have any intention to hurt anybody.”

On November 8, 2009 the police found the gun and some ammunition hidden in Edward’s car.

Prosecutor Rienk Mud considered theft with violence and extortion proven. He said the ease with which the perpetrators decided to rob a supermarket was shocking. “It is too crazy for words that out of the blue two local guys who had never been in contact with the law before start out robbing a store.” He asked the judge to impose three years, one of which was to be suspended, on two years’ probation.

Attorney-at-law Jason Rogers said the demand was rather severe. He wanted to put things into perspective. He said his clients had shown remorse, and had already spent almost three months in detention.

Judge Monique Keppels considered the charges proven and said it was “incomprehensible” that men with a clean police record had committed crimes like these. She, however, granted a reduction of two months on the sentence because both men had overspent their time in police detention.