Jun 26 – Getaway Driver Sentenced To Prison For Assisting In Mugging Of "Vulnerable" Soldiers
A love-struck woman, who was the getaway driver for her partner, was sentenced to five months in prison for her involvement in a spate of robberies targeting “vulnerable” soldiers.
The Supreme Court today heard that Fabiola Alman, 34, waited on her motorcycle, while her former partner allegedly hid in the dark and attacked two soldiers who were making their way back to Devil’s Tower Camp after a night of drinking. The two incidents took place in April last year.
Alman entered a guilty plea after viewing video evidence which showed what Puisne Judge Christopher Butler called the “viciousness” of one of the assaults. She claimed that her partner at the time, Charles Dylan Peire, had carried out the robberies but he was acquitted on all charges after a Supreme Court trial last month.
Andrew Cardona, who appeared for the defendant, said that Alman had not expected that the robberies would involve serious violence. He explained that Alman, a mother of two daughters, had feared her former partner, and that she had found giving Crown evidence at his trial to be a harrowing experience.
Mr Justice Butler told Alman that she must be punished, despite her partner’s acquittal, because Gibraltar is a small country and it has to be shown that this type of offence is taken seriously.
He said that although she was just an accomplice, she knew that he was targeting innocent people who were vulnerable because they were alone, in the dark and under the influence of alcohol.
Alman will be serving a sentence of five months for two counts – one of attempted robbery, and one of robbery – concurrently.
Robert Fischel QC appeared for the Crown.
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