Twenty fraud and theft charges in two jurisdictions have landed a 27-year-old man on remand at HMP Dodds for the next 28 days.
He is Aaron Fransisco Joseph, of Odessa McClean Avenue, My Lords Hill, St Michael who today told Magistrate Kristy Cuffy-Sargeant that he will make his bail application on the next court date as “I know I have to go jail a while to please the court”.
It is alleged the Joseph was in the District ‘E’ Holetown jurisdiction when he obtained from Parkwood Enterprise Incorporated a quantity of gasoline, alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages worth $1,401.86 by virtue of a CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank (Barbados) Limited cheque knowing it to be forged. He is also charged with forging and uttering the bill of exchange.
That crime allegedly occurred on July 6, the same day he is also alleged to have forged another CIBC cheque which was made payable to Chefette Restaurants Limited for $591.50 for a quantity of food items.
He was not required to enter pleas to those five offences and will make an appearance in the Holetown Magistrates’ Court on August 8 when the charges will be read to him again.
In the District ‘A’ jurisdiction Joseph is accused of uttering a Republic Bank (Barbados) Limited cheque on June 17 payable to Ali Blackman for $5,000 and endeavouring to obtain the amount.
The accused is also charged with uttering to Chefette Restaurants Limited a forged CIBC cheque for $251. 90 on July 2 and getting a quantity of food items from the restaurant for the same amount with the forged instrument.
He is further accused of forging and uttering another CIBC cheque on July 5 and obtaining a quantity of food worth $489 from Chefette and similarly on July 6 uttering another cheque purporting to be that from the same bank to the same restaurant for $591.50.
On July 6 he is alleged to have obtained from Esso Tweedside Inc a quantity of gasoline worth $427.59 with intent to permanently deprive the establishment by falsely representing that a forged CIBC cheque for the amount and drawn from the account of Bourres Traders Ltd and signed by J.Carlton was a good and valid order for payment.
Joseph is also facing a charge that on July 10 that he obtained $158 gasoline from Esso Tweedside Inc also via a forged CIBC cheque.
The following day, July 11, he allegedly obtained from Fair Deals Inc 20 bottles of alcoholic beverages and a bottle of water worth $1,468.58 via a forged FCIB cheque.
On July 18, it also alleged that he uttered a forged CIBC cheque for $7,990.67 drawn on the account of Extreme Events Limited and obtained from Triumph (Barbados) Limited a quantity of alcoholic drinks.
Station Sergeant Carrison Henry in objecting to bail said there was a need to protect the accused as well as safeguard the society from him. The police prosecutor said there were fears that Joseph could reoffend if released pending his trial as his conviction card, which dated back five years, showed that he had a propensity to commit such offences.
“The accused was positively identified by the persons who made the reports and . . . CCTV footage showed him clearly. The property was not recovered . . . . and these matters span two jurisdictions,” the prosecutor submitted to the magistrate.
However, Joseph told the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrate the charges before the court were mere allegations.
“I went on 14 ID parades and only three people say they think it is me. I know I got to do jail a while – for a little 28 days, or two, or three, or four, or five, or six [months] to please the court. [When] I come back I will do my application for bail,” Joseph said before he was given a September 3 date to return to the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court.
