(Trinidad Express) Both the State and defence attorneys representing convicted soca star Machel Montano have filed appeals in the hopes of dismissing the ruling handed down by Magistrate Maureen Baboolal-Gafoor.
Baboolal-Gafoor on February 25 ordered Montano to pay compensation totalling $13,500 and fines totalling $13,700.
On December 10 last year Montano was found guilty of assaulting Gerard Bowrin, Janelle Lee Chee, Brandis Browne and Russell Pollonais during a fracas at the Zen nightclub at the corner of Keate and Frederick streets, Port of Spain on April 26, 2007.
Montano, 38, the reigning Groovy Soca Monarch and joint Power Soca Monarch champion, faced an additional charge of using obscene language, but he was reprimanded and discharged for that offence.
Songwriter Kernal Roberts was found guilty of assaulting Browne and Pollonais. Two other artistes, Joel “Zan” Feveck and Rodney “Benjai” LeBlanc who were also charged alongside Montano and Roberts but were found not guilty. Roberts was ordered to pay compensation totalling $11,000 and fines totalling $13,000. Both men were allowed until March 4 to pay the compensation and fines.
The Express understands that defence attorneys Dana Seetahal SC and Keith Scotland, who represented Montano and Roberts respectively, appealed the magistrate’s decision last Tuesday.
The grounds of appeal were that the men are not guilty, the decision was inconsistent with her ruling in favour of Feveck and LeBlanc and the decision was against the weight of evidence.
On Monday, the State, which was represented by senior State attorney George Busby, appealed the decision on the grounds that the sentence handed down on the men was too lenient.
The matter will be heard in the Appeal Court on a date to be fixed.
