COP IN JAIL

PC Joseph, 36, who last worked at the San Juan Police Sub-Station was brought in handcuffs to the courthouse and later stood before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde- John who read a charge that on Friday last, PC Joseph was at Soledad Road and being armed, did rob Weihu Zhu of 406,000 in cash, an Apple Iphone 7 valued $7,000 and a FX Revolution Air Rifle valued $20,000. The charges, she told Joseph, were committed with the use of personal violence.

A second charge, Magistrate Forde-John read to Joseph who is from Rapsey Street in Curepe, alleged that he had in his possession 22 rounds of .380 ammunition.

A third charge, read out in court, was that PC Joseph robbed Jinfu Zhu of an Apple Iphone 6 valued $6,000 and immediately after, did use personal violence against Jinfu. Joseph’s attorney Sade Lee-Duprey asked for bail to be granted saying her client had no previous conviction or pending court matters.

The charges were laid by Sgt Dindial Chulan of the TT Police Service’s Professional Standards Bureau. Court prosecutor Cleyon Sedan told Magistrate Forde-John that as a condition for the granting of bail, Joseph be ordered to surrender his passport and not communicate with the victims, whether directly or via social media networks. Lee- Duprey told the court that Joseph who was an SRP for the past three years, was not the holder of a TT Passport.

Magistrate Forde-John remanded Joseph into custody and asked that police check with the Immigration Department to confirm the matter of whether a passport was ever issued to the accused.

She adjourned the case to today when the issue of bail would likely be determined. The victims, both Chinese nationals, were not present in court for the hearing.

Outside the courthouse, a large crowd of curious onlookers gathered to catch a glimpse of the policeman as he made his way inside to hear his case.