Trio remanded to prison on multiple theft charges

Three men have been remanded to Dodds Prison after being taken before the No. 2 Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon, accused of committing a series of thefts since last November.

Ramon Akeem Quarless, 36, Omar Macdonald Sealy, 44, and Mark Anthony Morgan Prescod, 37, all listed as having no fixed place of residence, appeared before Magistrate Manila Renee to answer to the charges.

All three were accused of:

• entering Double Bar Trading as a trespasser between March 13 and 14 and stealing 28 cartons of cigarettes, bottles of vodka, whiskey, brandy and other liquor totalling $6 404 belonging to Michel Barbar and;
• entering Packaging for Less as a trespasser between May 13 and 14 with intent to commit theft.

Quarless and Sealy admitted to committing the offences, while Prescod pleaded not guilty.

The three were not required to enter pleas to the indictable charges of :

• entering Blu Room Bar as a trespasser between March 16 and 17  and stealing bottles of tequila, wine, rum, champagne, Baileys and other drink and food items totalling $32 448 belonging to Kerry-Ann Fowler and;
• entering a woodwork shop belonging to Euclid Skeete as a trespasser on April 25 and stealing several power tools, deadbolt locks and other items, valued at $21 035, belonging to Skeete.

Sealy and Prescod were jointly charged with eight offences, including:

• entering Williams Auto and Repair Services as a trespasser between April 18 and 19 and stealing batteries and other items totalling $200 belonging to Dalton Williams
• entering that same establishment again between May 6 and 7 and stealing tools valued at $400 belonging to Williams
• entering Euclid Skeete’s workshop as a trespasser between April 25 and 30 and stealing four windows valued at $1 540 belonging to Skeete
• entering the same building on May 10 and stealing $1 797 in tools belonging to Skeete
• entering Barbados Home Nursing services Day Care as a trespasser  between April 8 and 9, and stealing a tent belonging to Antoinette Sealy-Griffith
• stealing 34 and a half boxes of tiles valued at $949.44 belonging to Terrific Tiles between April 22 and 23
• stealing six boxes of tiles valued at $165.12 belonging to Terrific Tiles on April 27, and;
• loitering on the premises of Derek Austin and there was cause to suspect of being about to commit theft on April 26.

Sealy pleaded guilty to the charges, while Prescod pleaded not guilty.

All three men also faced separate charges.

Quarless owned up to stealing 21 bars of steel valued $408.24 belonging to Bisram Singh on May 7 and to stealing jewellery and drinks from D&D Snacks totalling $403.22, belonging to Denise Prescod on May 13.

He was also charged with stealing a marker machine valued at $12 000 belonging to Mark Harewood between April 22 and 25. That matter is indictable.

Sealy confessed to entering Lunch Authority as a trespasser between April 12 and 13 and stealing $275 in cash belonging to Sandra Hussein, and entering Flavour of Life and stealing $130 in items from that establishment between April 13 and 14.

Meanwhile, Prescod was accused of and denied that between November 7 and 8, 2024, he entered Urban Vybz as a trespasser and stole a tile mixer, an extension cord and other items totalling $840 belonging to Parmeshwar Bissoon and that between April 12 and 13 he entered Lunch Authority and stole $275 in cash belonging to Sandra Hussein.

Prosecutor Sergeant Reginald Blackman objected to bail for Quarless and Sealy pending sentencing, pointing to their criminal records and for Prescod, citing the strength of the evidence.

Attorney Tyra Trotman, who represented Quarless, admitted that while her client did not have a clean record, he had never failed to turn up to court, and asked that conditions be set to allow his release.

Magistrate Renee denied bail for all three and remanded them until June 19.

When Haniyfa White was admitted to prison in May 2007, she complained of being struck with a bottle to the head, but never mentioned a piece of iron.

Giving evidence in the No. 5 Supreme Court, Medical Assistant with the Barbados Prison Service, Sergeant Colleen Forde told the court that White had entered the prison on May 16, 2007. At the time, the penal institution was based at Harrison Point, St Lucy.

White is accused of the May 14, 2007, murder of Julene Bryan.

Reading the admissions report, Forde said White had complained of abrasions to the right side and to the back of the head and a painful right side and had said she had been struck in the head with a bottle. She was examined while entering the prison, and saw Dr Ross Herbert two days later.

Questioned as to whether the murder-accused spoke about being hit with a piece of iron, Forde replied, ‘No ma’am’.

Forde also read from the late medical doctor’s report, where White spoke about being struck in the head with a bottle of wine and of intermittent dizziness.

In his examination, Dr Herbert found skin abrasions to the right of her forehead, tenderness to her eye area and to her left side and made an assessment of a soft tissue injury to the neck and a post-traumatic headache, prescribing a pain killer.

Forde said that neither she nor the doctor saw any other injuries on White and that there were no other complaints made besides that regarding the wine bottle.

Also taking the witness stand was Coreen White, mother of the accused, who spoke to the court of an incident where she saw two women cursing her daughter.

Saying she regularly visited Haniyfa at her home in Six Men’s, St Peter, the witness recalled her speaking about two women who were always “troubling” her. She told the court that during one of her visits to Six Men’s, she had been walking a distance behind Haniyfa, and her two grandchildren heading home from the beach, when she heard “a lot of cursing and carrying on” and saw two women in Haniyfa’s face. The mother said the accused was just standing there and she told her daughter ‘Come and let’s go home’.

The witness stated that she did not know the women but described them as “giants” to Haniyfa” later adding that she did not see them touch the accused, “but they had their hands all in her face”.

She could not recall if this incident happened close to the time of Bryan’s death.

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Krystal Delaney is prosecuting the case while defence counsel Safiya Moore represents the accused.

Madam Justice Pamela Beckles presides.