A 36-year-old man who was charged with having carnal knowledge of a female was granted his pre-trial liberty in the sum of $350,000 when he appeared at the Fort Wellington Court before Magistrate Tejnarine Ramroop on Wednesday.
The court heard that on December 12, 2008 at Rosignol, Glenn Carmichael, a minibus driver of Seafield Village, West Berbice had carnal knowledge of a girl under the age of 16. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge.
Reports are that the defendant was caught in a hotel room with the teen and officials from the Region Five School’s Welfare Department and the police were informed. The cops reportedly kicked down the door to the room where the man was found with the teen.
Police prosecutor, Sergeant Hatty Anthony asked that bail be refused and attorney-at-law, Joel Persid Edmond who represented Carmichael objected to her prosecuting the case. He said that she was present at the place of the alleged incident and had reportedly made some prejudicial statements. The magistrate then asked her to withdraw and she was replaced by another prosecutor, Sergeant Donna Grant-Fraser, who asked that bail be refused on the grounds of the nature, gravity and the prevalence of the offence.
Edmond replied that the prosecution’s grounds for refusing bail are “a recurring decimal and a scratched CD.”
He further argued that the basis for refusing bail should be that the defendant is a flight risk, would tamper with witnesses or would commit a similar offence. He said that the prosecutor did not advance any of those grounds and “as it stands my client is entitled to bail and the offence is bailable.”
He submitted that bail is to ensure attendance to court and should not be seen as a means of punishment. He said too that Carmichael is an ex-policeman with 15 years of service with the force.
According to him, his client is a “responsible young man” and that his reputed wife was present at court to support him. He submitted that Carmichael would not abscond from his trial as he was placed on $30,000 station bail on December 13 and that he attended court on his own.
He informed the magistrate that from his instructions there was no sexual activity and asked the court to look at the medical report. The magistrate requested a copy of the report but it was not available.
The magistrate then adjourned the matter and ordered that the teen be brought to the court. When questioned she confirmed to the magistrate that there was no sexual activity. He then informed Carmichael that if he did not hear that from the girl he would have “dumped you in jail.”
He then placed him on $500,000 bail but Edmond made a request for bail to be reduced as it was amounting to “no bail.” The magistrate then reconsidered and placed the defendant on $350,000, commenting that “this is the lowest I can go for serious offences like this.”
Carmichael will return to court on February 13.
