$60,000 bail for car-stealing bandit

TWO months after stealing a car and robbing the driver and two passengers, one of which was a television reporter, a Santa Cruz man yesterday appeared before a magistrate at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court charged with eight offences related to the thefts. He was granted bail in the sum of $60,000, with a surety to be approved by the Clerk of the Peace. Junior Walcott, 24, of Monroe Alley, Santa Cruz, appeared before Magistrate Betsy-Ann Lambert-Peterson charged with robbing taxi driver Phillip Short of his vehicle with the use of violence, robbing TV6 reporter Sampson Nanton of a cell phone valued $1,000, wounding Short and the other passenger Wayne Roberts with the intent to murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm and ammunition with the intention to endanger life. All of the offences allegedly occurred on October 21 on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, San Juan, and the charges were laid by Cpl Francis Vidale of the Barataria Police Station.

Walcott, a self employed father of two, was represented by attorney Richard Mason. In a bid to secure bail for his client, Mason highlighted Walcott’s medical condition. His client, he said, had been recently discharged from the hospital after undergoing extensive lung surgery in order to save a collapsing lung. In addition, Mason said, Walcott had no previous convictions, nor any pending matters and was willing to surrender his passport to the authorities and subject himself to any conditions stipulated by the court. The matter was adjourned to January 8, 2004 and transferred to the First Court.