A 23-year-old orthopaedic technician of the Georgetown Public Hospital was on Wednesday granted $20,000 bail when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court charged with obtaining money from a man while pretending that he was in the position to have a surgery done for him. Morris Rodney of 139 Waterloo Street, South Cummmingsburg, had pleaded not guilty to the charge of obtaining money by false pretence.
He denied that on December 8, with intent to defraud, he obtained $40, 000 from Shawn Joseph on the pretext that he was in the position to have surgery done on him even though he knew this to be false.
The lawyer stated that Rodney is an Orthopaedic Technician (a technician in a branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system).
His lawyer in his bid to secure reasonable bail for him stated that his client poses no risk of flight and that this is the first time he had been charged with anything.
He said that on the day in question Joseph approached his client (who he knew for some time) “and my client being a Good Samaritan told him that he would get the surgery done for him very soon”. The lawyer noted that at no time did his client take any money from Joseph.
Prosecutor Stephen Telford made no objections to the bail application and noted that Joseph is currently at Bartica. Rodney is expected to make another court appearance on January 12.