"Lack of forensic evidence" against man accused of stealing safe

Thursday 15 August 2024

A jury has been urged to consider the "lack of forensic evidence" against a man accused of stealing a safe and bottle of coins worth up to £500 from a close family friend.

Andrew James Richomme (28) is on trial in the Royal Court this week for one charge of illegal entry and larceny, and one charge of receiving stolen goods – both of which he denies.

A woman described as being “like family” to Mr Richomme woke up on 3 August last year and found her safe and a bottle containing coins worth up to £500 were gone from her flat.

CCTV played in court of a nearby street showed two men – including, the prosecution alleges, the defendant – walking down the street holding these items. The court heard on Monday that Mr Richomme was wearing a medical boot on his foot, which matched the footage.

The jury will have to decide whether they are sure that Mr Richomme is the man pictured.

Mr Richomme was arrested the day after the incident.

During a police interview, he gave conflicting answers as to whether he was the man in the CCTV footage. 

Pictured: Mr Richomme denies that he was captured on CCTV with the missing items.

Giving evidence in court yesterday, Mr Richomme claimed that he had been “off [his] barnet” and “smashed (very drunk)” during the interview with officers.

Mr Richomme said that he had in fact been partying for two nights at the time of the break-in.

Crown Advocate Christina Hall, prosecuting, asked him: “Your evidence is that you were smashed?”

He responded: “I think everybody heard my interview yesterday. It didn’t make any f*****g sense.”

He was also shown the CCTV footage in which it is alleged that he is shown walking down the street with an accomplice.

Asked by Advocate Mark Boothman, defending, whether he was using crutches at the time of the break-in, Mr Richomme responded: “Well, no, because I was at a party.” 

In her closing speech, the prosecuting Crown Advocate maintained that Mr Richomme was behind the thefts and spoke of the impact on the victim. She said the woman was “vulnerable” and had had a “terrible”, “distressing” and “frightening” thing happen to her. “It is also clear that she felt very betrayed by the defendant,” Crown Advocate Hall said.

In his closing speech, Advocate Boothman reminded the jury that Mr Richomme was facing “serious charges” and asked them to consider how he must feel appearing in court for a crime that he denies committing.

Mr Richomme had been “closer to [the woman] than his own mother”, he added, a fact that she too confirmed when she gave evidence on Tuesday.

“Mr Richomme wears his heart on his sleeve,” Advocate Boothman said. “He comes from a difficult and troubled background. Do not hold that against him.”

The prosecution, he said, was “grasping at straws because the lack of forensic evidence could be fatal to their case” – referring to the lack of any of Mr Richomme’s fingerprints in the flat.

“The evidence in this case is simply far too weak.”

The Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, is presiding. The jury retired on the morning of Thursday 15 August, the third day of the trial and the day it was scheduled to finish.

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CCTV in question in trial of man accused of family friend break-in