Father of two tells court: 'He cocked the gun and pointed it at me'
A father-of-two has described having a gun held to his chest during a daylight robbery in his Southampton home.Gregory Wilson, a former jeweller, told Supreme Court that he was home alone when he heard people talking inside his house last December 6.He found three men wearing helmets standing in his son’s bedroom, a fourth was climbing through a window.They held a gun to his chest and demanded cash and jewellery.“I was shocked. At first I couldn’t believe that it was actually happening,” Mr Wilson said.“Then I was angry. Towards the end I was very angry. It upset me terribly. It still does.”Leo Burgess, 17, is accused of one count of aggravated robbery with a firearm and one count of possessing a firearm while a minor.He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.Mr Wilson took the stand at Mr Burgess’ Supreme Court trial yesterday.He said that at around 11am on December 6 he was in his office when he heard noises in his son’s room.Thinking his son might have returned home, he went downstairs and discovered the robbers.“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 bandanna 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 bandanna 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.He said he became angry and began shouting and cursing at the men, at which point the man in the red bandanna turned.The movement caused his bandanna to fall below his chin, and exposed his face.The four men left soon after, running towards the former Sonesta hotel staff quarters, and Mr Wilson called police.Mr Smith said both of the gunmen wore dark clothes and latex gloves. He said he had difficulty describing the unarmed men.“I didn’t pay much attention to the other two. They weren’t as threatening,” he said.Mr Burgess’ lawyer Shade Subair questioned Mr Wilson about several inconsistencies between the statement he made on the day of the incident and a second statement made more than a month later.He agreed that he initially said the man who ordered the group around was the one who held the gun to his chest, and that he described him as dark-skinned.He also agreed that he had not mentioned anything about a red bandanna or scarf in his original statement.He said he was still in shock at the time. “It was 20 minutes after the original incident happened. I couldn’t even think properly. Something like that happens to you, you cannot remember every detail,” he said.“When you have got a gun in your face, a lot of things change.”Mr Wilson said he recognised the defendant as one of his son’s friends, and that his son had stolen from him in the past.The court also heard that police investigating the robbery discovered discarded latex gloves and a glove fragment outside the abandoned Sonesta staff apartments, only a short distance from the crime scene.They also found a red bandanna nearby.Crown counsel Nicole Smith said the jury will hear that DNA evidence has linked Mr Burgess to “at least one” of the discovered items.The trial is expected to continue this morning.