Bail for woman accused of taking cell phone into prison

Merceline Small, charged last week with taking a cell phone into the Camp Street prison, was granted $100,000 bail on Friday after an application was made to the High Court.

Small yesterday made another appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry ordered her to return to court on March 7 for reports and fixture for trial. The Magistrate informed the defendant that her matter would be transferred to Court Five.

The defendant is the wife of Barry Small who is one of the two persons accused of murdering schoolgirl Neesa Gopaul. Gopaul’s mother Bibi Sharima Gopaul has been jointly arraigned with Barry Small.

When Marceline Small made her initial appearance before the Magistrate last Monday, she was remanded to prison because of the seriousness of the offence. On Friday last, however, she was granted $100,000 bail by the High Court.

The successful bail application was made by her attorney Pamela De Santos before acting Chief Justice Ian Chang.

The allegation against Small is that on January 24, she took the prohibited article into the prison. The woman denied the charge.

The prosecution’s case is that she had gone to the prison to visit someone there when she was caught by prison officials taking a cell phone into the prison.