Fourty-four charges for T&T bank robbery suspects

(Trinidad Express) The four men accused of attempting to rob the Bank of Baroda last Wednesday, yesterday had a total of 44 charges read to them when they appeared in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court.

The four — Anton Smart, 28, Chevallier Craig, 28, Keston Jackie, 29 and Dexter Black, 21, — appeared before Magistrate Melvin Daniel in the Fourth (B) Court on charges of robbery, assault, false imprisonment against three of the bank’s employees and two security officers and causing damage to property.

Each of the men who live at Laventille, Beetham Gardens and Chaguanas faced 11 charges. All four were denied bail and will reappear in court tomorrow.

During their appearance, none of them were called upon plead to the charges as they were all laid indictably.

Police prosecutor Sgt Stanley Joseph told the court the prosecution was objecting to bail given the accused criminal background trace coupled with the “overwhelming” evidence the State had in the matters.

Joseph said, Smart had pending matters for larceny, robbery, drug possession, assaulting a police officer and interfering with a prisoner. He said Craig and Jackie also had pending matters for larceny and robbery.

However, defence attorney Patrick Godson-Phillip who is representing Smart and Craig said this was not the case.

Godson-Phillip said he was not denying that Smart had been previously charged with the offences listed but insisted that most of those charges had been dismissed.

“These offences are alleged to have taken place since 2003, so if these matters are still pending then something has to be seriously wrong with the judicial system,” Godson-Phillip said.

The attorney said his clients had been in custody since last week and yet the police were unable to upgrade their records with regard to the men’s criminal tracing.

Attorney Kirk Hogan, who along with Richard Clarke-Wills is seeking the interest of Jackie said the prosecution was in sole control of upgrading these records but yet it was failing to do so in a responsible manner.

In response, to the attorney’s submissions Joseph said he could only go with the records before him but asked the court for some additional time in order to have the situation clarified.

Daniel granted the request stating that the prosecution needed to contact the officers who laid the previous charges to determine if in fact the matters had been dismissed as stated by the attorneys.