A U.S. national was forced at knifepoint to open his safe while bound with duct tape, the High Court heard Wednesday as the trial of Marlon Carr continued.

Carr, of Fort Road, faces three counts of aggravated robbery over the April 6, 2022 attack on three elderly people at the Mill Reef Club. The judge-alone trial is before Justice Ann Marie Smith. One former co-accused is serving eight and a half years after pleading guilty; charges against another were dropped.

The victims — a married couple and their female houseguest, all in their seventies — were confronted by three masked men armed with knives after returning from a party. Jewellery, cash and electronic devices worth more than US$11,000 were stolen.

The male homeowner testified he was marched to a safe the men appeared to know about and ordered to enter the code while bound. When it opened, cash and jewellery were taken. He later freed himself and the two women and alerted club management.

His wife said she was also forced to open a separate safe before being bound. The houseguest previously told the court she was grabbed around the neck and robbed of jewellery.

An officer read a statement in which Carr admitted driving others to the property and helping restrain a victim, though he claimed he was unarmed and refused a share of the proceeds.

Under cross-examination, the defence suggested the attackers had inside knowledge of the property. The trial continues next week.