Greaves tells court why he didn’t appear as expected

Damien Antonio Greaves almost lost his freedom and his surety almost had to forfeit $3,000 when he eventually turned up to court today after absconding for over a year.

The 33-year-old of Checker Hall, St Lucy, had been charged with telling police constable Cornelia Daniel, “I don’t give a f… about the f…ing police”, as well as resisting Daniel in the execution of her duties on December 12, 2015.

However, he had not been to court since 2018 and when he failed to appear on October 15 that year a warrant was issued for his arrest.

But when he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court this morning, Greaves told Magistrate Douglas Frederick he had not been to court because he was in police custody.

“Police custody? For over a year?” the magistrate enquired.

Greaves explained that he was in police custody on the same day he was to return to court.

He said after he was released he expected a summons to be sent to him informing him of his next court date.

However, the magistrate told him he should have come to court the day he was released.

“If you were working and the police had picked you up, what would you have done when they let you go? Wouldn’t you have gone back to work?

“It was your duty to report to court. You should have come to the court and explained what happened and let us give you another date,” Magistrate Frederick told him.

He then told Greaves that he would be remanded to prison unless he was able to present a surety.

Luckily, the accused was able to get in contact with the surety who posted his bail for the 2015 matters.

When she came to court, Magistrate Frederick contemplated making her forfeit the $3,000 bail amount for which she signed.

He eventually had a change of heart and while he allowed her to keep her money, he raised the bail amount to $5,000.

Greaves will reappear in court on March 19.