A 49-year-old auto mechanic was granted $20 000 bail with conditions when he appeared before the District ‘A’ Magistrates Court on kidnapping, rape and drug charges on Monday.
Jeffrey Anthony Macallister of Baileys Terrace, Wildey, St Michael was not required to plead to the indictable charges of unlawfully removing a woman from a Christ Church area without her consent on October 2, 2023, and two counts of sexual intercourse with a woman on October 2 and 3, 2023 without her consent or was reckless as to whether she consented.
Macallister, who is represented by attorney-at-law Kendrid Sargeant, pleaded not guilty to several drug charges before Magistrate Bernadeth John.
These include possession, possession with intent to supply and trafficking cannabis; possession, possession with intent to supply, and trafficking cocaine; and possession of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as ecstasy.
Constable Troy Tudor listed several reasons for his objections to Macallister being granted bail, including the seriousness of the offences, that the accused was already on bail on another matter, that the accused is known to the court, and the need to “protect the virtual complainant from the accused and the accused from himself”.
However, Sargeant insisted that the court could grant bail under specific conditions, noting that his client’s antecedents were from more than two decades ago.
“There is case law that says you cannot use a person’s previous antecedents to prevent that person from getting bail. The antecedents would have shown that he had a struggle earlier in his life and has paid his debt to society,” the defence attorney said.
He added that there was no law that an accused on bail for one matter could not be given bail on another.
“The accused man is charged with offences before this court that people coming before this court would have gotten bail for. People come before this court charged with murder, with manslaughter and get bail. People come before this court charged with rape and get bail. People come before this court with more serious offences than what the accused man is charged with and they get bail, so why then can’t the accused man be given bail with certain conditions?” Sargeant argued.
Magistrate John then granted Macallister $20 000 bail with one surety and warned him to have no contact with the virtual complainant. In addition, he has to report to the Hastings Police Station every Monday between 6 a.m. and noon, surrender his travel documents, and observe an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.
He returns to the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
On the indictable offences, the accused will head to the Oistins Magistrate Court on October 13, 2023.
