Conman fearful of an unfair trail

The convicted conman who caused the police to issue a warning because of his tendency to impersonate members of the police force, is worried that he won’t get a fair trial.

The charges keep rolling in for Iso Lynch, who was charged with three additional deception offences on Wednesday.

Just this Monday, after Lynch had been charged with four deception-related charges, the Public Relations Department of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force advised the public to beware.
“The Police are advising members of the public to be aware of persons who appear to be conducting genuine business activities, but are impersonating the police. Mr Iso Lynch is one such person who has been convicted on numerous occasions for deception and impersonating police officers in the past.”

Lynch has 17 convictions for deception and one for impersonation.

This Wednesday, he was additionally charged that on January 23, 2018, in Kingstown, with the intent to defraud Gary Young, a 51-year-old musician of Cane Garden, did falsely present himself to be a fictitious police officer Samuel. He is further charged with dishonestly obtaining $2,700 from Young with the intent to permanently deprive. Between January 24 and February 28, 2018, he is also charged with dishonestly obtaining $1000 from the musician.

Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delplesche told magistrate Bertie Pompey that Lynch was remanded into custody for similar offences. Further, “the investigations into these matters are ongoing and as it seems, the information is now coming forward.”

In objecting to bail, the prosecution submitted the criminal record of Lynch, and asked the magistrate to peruse it.

The prosecution noted that he showed a propensity for the offences, and that remanding Lynch could serve to be preventative, and “cull what is a high probability of him continuing in this vein.”

Addressing the court, Lynch expressed his doubts that he would have a fair trial.

“… I’m being honest to you, I feel prejudiced, I feel I will not have a fair trial,” Lynch told Pompey, who said he was listening to him.

Pompey said that was he transferring the matters to the Serious Offences Court for February 8, so that the Chief Magistrate may hear his concerns.

Iso Lynch started his career as a conman at the young age of 21 in 2002, when he pretended to be an officer of the Coastguard, and tried to sell someone a fibre glass boat.

He has not shied away from using high rankings in the police force when attempting to dupe persons. In 2010, he was convicted, for deception, which involved him posing as the fictitious ‘Inspector Browne’ who worked in the office of the Commissioner of Police with the power to facilitate the procuring of firearm licenses.

Further, he posed as a fictitious high ranking Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Grant in 2016, and a real policeman, the Assistant Commissioner of Police Sampson.

ASP Junior Simmons, speaking to SEARCHLIGHT on Monday, noted that one of the easiest ways to identify a police officer when he’s not in uniform is to ask him to show his identification card.

The Identification Card includes the enlistment date of the holder, a picture and signature of the holder of the card, the police crest, the police officer’s name, rank and number, the signature of the Commissioner of Police, the height of the holder, the date of the card was issued, the officer’s national ID card number, the officer’s national voter’s registration number and the national colours, etc.

Otherwise persons are free to make a call to their nearest police station.