A young man accused of looting his workplace on two separate occasions was yesterday placed on bail in the sum of $100,000.
Jamal Anthony McKenzie, 19, of Lamaha Street, Newtown entered not guilty pleas to two counts of break and enter and larceny, when he appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. He denied that between April 4 and 5 last year, at Lot 10 Water Street, Kingston, he broke and entered Toucan’s Industries and stole $140,000 in cash, the property of Andrew King.
He also denied that between January 30 and February 1 this year, he broke and entered the same store and stole a drilling machine, an electric grinder and a quantity of cash, totalling $129,000, all the property of King.
McKenzie’s lawyer, Adrian Thompson, applied for reasonable bail for him on the grounds that he posed no risk of flight and that he will return to court for his trial.
He told the court that his client used to work for King and that when King discovered that the items mentioned in the charges were missing, he reported the matter to the police station and several of his employees, including McKenzie, were arrested.
He said that his client’s constitutional rights had been breached, since he was arrested since Monday and kept in police custody for more than 72 hours.
Prosecutor Stephen Telford had objected to the bail application, on the grounds that McKenzie was caught on the store’s security camera committing the offences. He also stated that the court should take note that McKenzie had allegedly broken into the store twice.
He stated that McKenzie was employed for two years a Toucan’s Industries and that after some time became one of King’s trusted workers.
He said that in April last year McKenzie had gone to Parika and collected a large sum of cash for the store. He noted that while McKenzie brought the money back to the store, sometime during that week he had arranged with others to break and enter the store to steal the cash.
The prosecutor went on to say that between January 31 and February 1, McKenzie arranged with two friends to break into the store again and steal some more items.
Telford further noted that under caution McKenzie admitted to committing the offences.
McKenzie is scheduled to make another court appearance on March 5.
