At the Blairmont Court on Monday, Magistrate Tejnarine Ramroop deferred ruling in the case against a police rank charged with simple larceny.
Reports are that between October 3 and 4, Rasheed Yussuf of Rosignol stole one silver BMX bicycle that belonged to the State. The bicycle was valued at $6,000.
Yussuf, who was attached to the Fort Wellington Hospital, had been appearing at court for over three months but the matter has not been heard since the file had been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice. He first appeared before Magistrate Geeta Chandan on December 3 and was freed on his own recognizance after Police Prosecutor Sergeant Satrohan Dayaram did not object to bail.
Defence Counsel Joel Persid Edmond had told the court that “it is an interesting phenomenon that my client was arrested for some money – $200,000 that was missing and a gun.” He said the man’s wife was arrested along with him and that he was surprised to hear that “all he was charged for is a bicycle.” He then questioned whether any other charges were forthcoming, which the prosecutor denied.
Edmond then submitted that “there was no issue of a missing bicycle.”
However, on Monday, Police Prosecutor Sergeant Donna Grant-Fraser said she was advised to put down the matter indefinitely and that a new charge would have to be read for unlawful possession.
Edmond objected to the new charge and told the court that he was going to press charges for false imprisonment.
He said too that police were forced to come up with another charge of unlawful possession. Edmond said too he understood that the said sum was repaid by another officer and the gun was found at Eve Leary.
Yussuf was ordered to appear at court on Monday.
