Teens charged with setting canefield on fire

TWO teenagers were each granted $5,000 bail when they appeared before a San Fernando magistrate yesterday charged with illegally setting fire to a canefield. The accused boys appeared before acting deputy Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington in the First Court, where court prosecutor Cpl Wendell Fernando said he was awaiting instructions on how to proceed with the matter.

The teens, aged 14 and 17, were charged by estate sergeant Baptiste, of Allied Security Services, with setting fire to a canefield at Petit Morne in Ste Madeleine around 3.30 pm last Friday. The teens were represented by attorney Dushant Persad-Maraj. The 14-year-old has a pending narcotics matter in court. Relatives of both boys were in court yesterday. Both have been remanded to the Youth Training Centre (YTC) and are to reappear in court on May 10. Police are reportedly searching for other suspects in the matter.