$100,000 bail for Laventille five

FIVE LAVENTILLE residents who appeared in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Magistrates’ Court on gun and marijuana charges were yesterday granted bail in the sum of $100,000 each. On Monday the five were remanded in custody by Magistrate David Harris pending a tracing of their criminal records.

The five men — Jamal Goodridge, 16, Ronald Mohammed, 18, Keron Wint, 26, Anthony Agard, 23 and Brian Small 31 appeared before Magistrate David Harris charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a Smith and Wesson firearm. The charges were laid indictably, so the men were not called upon to plead. The five were arrested last Friday at St John Street, Quarry Road, Laventille. In his application for bail on behalf of the five men on Monday, defence attorney Godson Phillip told the magistrate that his clients had no previous or pending matters.

The attorney stated that he was genuinely concerned for persons who appeared before the court and did not get bail and had to face the prison system. He also noted that since prison had very limited opportunities for rehabilitation, it was not the best place for a first time offender to be since it offered a great chance of corrupting that person. He pleaded that given the fact that his clients all had clean records that they be granted bail pending tracing. He said that while he was concerned about all of his clients, he was especially asking that the youngest of the offenders be spared the experience of incarceration by being granted bail. Following the attorneys plea the magistrate remanded the five into custody. However when they re-appeared in court yesterday they were granted $100,000 bail each. The matter was adjourned to August 22.