Seven teenage boys and one girl appeared before Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, charged in connection with recent attacks on the homeless.
The St Michael teens, between the ages of 14 and 17, are also facing several charges, separately and jointly, for offences that occurred on July 30.
Three of them were granted bail while the other five were remanded – two to Dodds and others to the Government Industrial School (GIS).
They are 17-year-olds Romario Rashawn Best-Hinkson of Green Park Lane; Stefan Tashawn Reid of Tamarind Avenue, Country Road; and Meshach Lord Beckles of Ashby Alley, Nelson Street; and 16-year-olds Ziad Al-Hassan Joseph of Villa Road, Brittons Hill; and Jadon Lashawn Davis of Bottom Close, Wildey. There were also three minors – two 15-year-old boys and a 14-year-old girl.
Beckles and the three minors are accused of assaulting Jason Nicholls, causing him actual bodily harm.
Joseph, Davis, Beckles, and the minors are charged with throwing stones likely to cause injury to a passenger on Fairchild Street, Bridgetown.
The two 15-year-old boys are accused, along with Reid, of robbing Orland Moseley of a handbag, an identification card and three keys, with a total approximate value of $125.
One of the 15-year-old boys is accused of assaulting Daniel Drakes while the other allegedly robbed Noel Marshall of $450, assaulted Doris Bowen, and unlawfully and maliciously wounded Mark Alleyne. Best-Hinkson is also charged with robbing Marshall.
All eight teens pleaded not guilty to their individual and joint charges.
Station Sergeant Crishna Williams objected to bail based on the nature and seriousness of the allegations and the strength of the evidence.
“The prosecution asks that these persons be kept in custody for the protection of the community,” the prosecutor urged the court, adding that the allegations made “were targeted towards a particular set of people who are considered to be homeless”.
“So that community needs to be protected,” Williams added, stating that the accused also needed to be protected.
Lawyers who represented the accused, as well as the teens who had no legal counsel, submitted that they were proper and fit candidates for bail as they had no prior convictions or pending matters before the court. They also told the Chief Magistrate that they were willing to adhere to any bail conditions.
The attorneys all urged the court to exercise discretion in favour of the accused and grant them their pretrial liberty.
In handing down his decision on the submissions, Chief Magistrate Weekes made it clear that he would not be “guided by public comment in any form or fashion”.
“I have to follow the law and do what I have to do,” he said.
Weekes explained that he would take into consideration the accused, their charges, and the number of charges in reaching his decision.
He then remanded Best-Hinkson and Reid to Dodds until August 24. The two 15-year-old boys and the girl were sent to GIS until August 11 when they will appear in the Juvenile Court. The rest were each granted $5 000 bail with one surety, and must adhere to a daily 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.
Attorney-at-law Angella Mitchell-Gittens represented Beckles; Ajamu Boardi was defence counsel for Davis; while Reid and one of the 15-year-old boys had Simon Clarke as their lawyer; and Best-Hinkson retained attorney-at-law Shadia Simpson.
The other accused were unrepresented.
