Trainee city constable solicited bribe – court hears

`Loose meh something nah, ah don’t really like locking up people’
A 32-year-old trainee city constable was yesterday not required to plead to the indictable charge of impersonation when he appeared before Acting Chief Magis-trate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Leon Thomas
Leon Thomas

It is alleged that on June 13 at Georgetown, Leon Thomas of 54 Lime and Bent streets approached Suresh Sam and Nazim Khan purporting to be a police officer and the complainants believed.

Attorney-at-law Mohamed Zafar who represented the defendant told the court that his client had been hit by a member of the city constabulary and the said constabulary member has a vendetta against Thomas.

The attorney asked that bail be granted in a reasonable sum on the grounds that his client poses no risk of flight, has a fixed place of abode and has been cooperating with investigations.

The city constabulary prosecutor, however, asked that bail be refused on the grounds that the offence committed is a serious one, adding  that the defendant has a pending matter of demanding money by false pretence.

The prosecutor told the court that on the day in question  the virtual complainants (VCs) rode through a stop light and were pursued by the defendant who asked them if they were aware that “riding through a red light is a serious offence” and ordered them to accompany him to the city constabulary.

The prosecutor said further that Thomas decided to solicit money from the virtual complainants instead of taking them to the constabulary.  According to the prosecutor, the defendant then told the VCs, “Loose meh something nah, ah don’t really like locking up people.”

The prosecutor said that Thomas was heard making the demands by a fellow city police whom he did not know and who was dressed in plain clothes. A complaint was subsequently made and the defendant was arrested.

Thomas was refused bail and was ordered to return to Court Ten on June 29.