A second man on trial for a late-night bank burglary, like his co-defendant, has put forward his secret lover as his alibi when refuting the allegations that he and two other men stole half-a-million dollars from RBC’s Shedden Road branch eight years ago.
Taking to the stand on Thursday, 9 May, Elton Webster denied playing any role in what has been described as a ‘criminal gang’ that orchestrated the daring heist.
“At the time of the burglary I was with… my girlfriend at the time, or you could call her my ‘friend with benefits’,” said Webster, somewhat awkwardly, as he was testifying in front of his wife Eliza Webster, to whom he had been married for many years before the alleged burglary.
Both Elton and Eliza Webster, together with David Bodden Jr. and Statan Clarke, are on trial in relation to the incident. The men have each been charged with one count of burglary, while Eliza Webster faces a separate count of possession of criminal property.
‘I was with my girlfriend’
The case against all four defendants is largely circumstantial, and relies on a string of separate pieces of evidence which the prosecution says points to their guilt.
In regards to Elton Webster, the prosecution has used cell phone data to connect him to the crime.
The Crown alleges that Webster, either by himself or with someone else, entered the bank and cleared out three cash-dispensing machines.
The assertions are supported by cell phone data that the prosecution says shows Webster in the area of the bank at the time of the incident.
The data reveals a call log between Webster’s work-issued phone and a cell number belonging to a woman whom Clarke claims was his “friend with benefits”. The prosecution says the call is proof of an organised hit on the bank.
However, Webster provided a completely different reason for the events of the night. According to him, his secret lover was the co-worker and friend of Clarke’s secret partner.
“[My girlfriend] needed to make a call but her phone was dying, so I told her to tell [Clarke’s secret partner] to call her on my work phone,” said Webster.
When asked why his work phone and not his phone, by his attorney, he replied, with his head down, “Because I didn’t want my wife to go through my phone and find out.”
The court heard that at the time of the robbery, Webster was going to great lengths to hide his extramarital affairs.
“We went to Hard Rock Cafe to eat some wings, but we drove her car because I didn’t want her to be seen in my truck and end up [on the news] and my wife find out,” said Webster, who added that he remembers the night vividly because he was watching the finals of a football league.
Cash came from hard work not theft
Another suggestion put forward by the prosecution was that Webster attempted to spend his portion of the ill-gotten gains on luxury items such as a new car for his wife, clothes and jewellery.
However, he adamantly refuted that narrative.
“When I was coming up with the down payment for my wife’s car, I sold my other [two cars] to get the money,” he said.
He added, “When I was getting my truck, that was through 100% financing from Credit Union.”
When asked about US dollars that were seized by police when he and his wife were stopped at Owen Roberts International Airport two weeks after the burglary, Webster told the court that he had purchased that from friends, family and persons close to them with cash from his salary and an in-share loan from the Credit Union.
‘This has really ruined my family’
When his attorney, Amelia Fosuhene, asked him about the impact the trial has had on him and his family, Webster broke down in tears.
“This has had a large impact on me, my wife, and our family,” he said. “My wife now has medical problems, my daughter [as well]… it has ruined my family.”
The trial, which began in March, is now entering what is expected to be the penultimate week. All four defendants remain on bail.
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