Women accused of smuggling cash to prisoners

Two young woman were charged with taking money to relatives who are inmates of the Camp Street Prison on Wednesday.

Charlene Joseph, 17, and Charmaine Outridge, 22, both mothers, were admitted to $7,000 bail each when they appeared before Magistrate Fazil Azeez at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. It is alleged that on November 2 at Georgetown on separate occasions, they each took $1,000 to the prison.

Joseph, of 797 C Field Sophia, and Outridge, of 1190 B Field Sophia, pleaded not guilty to the charges after they were read by the magistrate.

Prosecutor Lionel Harvey, in giving the facts of the case, told the court that the women tried to smuggle money to relatives who are imprisoned when they were caught by prison officers. Harvey said that both Joseph and Outridge had tried to fold the monies into concealable sizes but were caught as they tried to hand over the money to their relatives.

They were later cautioned, told of the offence committed and subsequently arrested and charged.
Attorney Patrice Henry, who represented both women, told the court that they were both unemployed. He requested that they be placed on reasonable bail, noting that they had no previous convictions, had fixed addresses, posed no risk of flight and had been cooperating with the police.
The prosecution had no objections to the two women being granted bail.
They were ordered to return to court on December 3.