Hoyte remanded after ‘surprising’ magistrate

Accused Cleve Anderson Hoyte “surprised” court officials today when he appeared with his attorney before Magistrate Douglas Frederick.

The chauffeur from Brighton, St George who has several pending theft matters in the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court has not attended hearings for over a year and has also filed numerous sick certificates with the courts.

“Some of them dicey,” said Magistrate Frederick in reference to the medicals.

“We were waiting for you for a long time. You really surprised me,” the judicial officer told Hoyte who was accompanied by defence counsel Leslie Cargill Straker.

Pointing to his jaw area and the area of his head, the accused man stated that he had suffered a gunshot wound.

However, the magistrate explained that his non-appearance had put his surety in trouble with the court.

The woman who stood as $15,000 surety had spent a night on remand at Dodds after she was unable to get the accused before the court. She told the court last month, among other things, that she thought Hoyte had been attending court.

“Many times he brought his clothes for me to press. He said he went to court and you dismiss some of the cases so I thought he was going,” said the surety.

But Hoyte – who disclosed that he had to undergo three surgeries for his injury – claimed that the woman, with whom he was in a relationship, was not telling the truth and sought to explain what had happened. He said that he had been informed by his brother that a warrant had been out for his arrest.

Frederick also told him that apart from missing court, the surety had been relieved of her duty since she could not account for him and a second surety who posted $15,000 bail on his behalf was in prison.

When told of the name however, Hoyte appeared unsure who that surety was.

“You scored some points today by walking in with your lawyer but I can’t let you go today,” the magistrate told Hoyte as he requested that the prosecution have files ready on the accused’s next appearance.

Hoyte was remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds to reappear in court on August 5.