Five more charges for suspended police officer

The police officer who was suspended earlier this year after being charged with burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary, now has to answer to five additional serious charges.

PC Ettian Charles was brought to the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, after having been charged at the Family Court the day before with having in his possession on September 17, a .38 revolver, and six rounds of .38 ammunition without a license.

He had been denied bail at the Family Court, and senior prosecutor Adolphus Delplesche maintained his objections to bail on Wednesday.

The prosecutor stated that he was making similar objections as before, as moments before he objected to bail for three men on a charge of armed robbery.

Bail was denied to Glenville Harry, Elroy Rogers and Rocuan Robinson, after submissions that the investigation into their matter touches and concerns other investigations.

Delplesche indicated that the investigation surrounding the offences allegedly committed by Charles was linked to investigations into robbery and other related offences.

Delplesche further stated that Charles is currently on bail for burglary and conspiracy charges, and therefore he was on bail when he allegedly committed the recent offences.

Charles is not yet represented, but he did mention his lawyer in the matter from earlier this year, Israel Bruce.

The accused said, at the time, that he had only been charged with possession of a firearm, and not with other offences of a similar nature to burglary and robbery.

He said that there were other people in the house where he was apprehended, but he was the only one charged. He said that he did not think that he alone that should have been charged.

The prosecutor indicated that they would be ready for trial in two weeks time.

Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett told Charles that bail was refused at this stage, and trial was set for October 8.

Yesterday, Charles was charged that he did, along with Harry, Rogers, Robinson and Ulric Hanson of Sion Hill, rob Dr Reisha Twana Browne-Caesar of a number of items worth EC$10,350.50, and other documents.

The five are also charged with, on September 14, robbing Lisa Wilson of Brighton and relieving her of a cash machine, and EC$630 and US$115 in cash, and unlawfully and maliciously wounding Grafton McDowall of Brighton, by hitting him over the head with a gun.

In July, Charles was charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit burglary, and with burglary of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Postal Corporation, which saw around $75,000 being removed from the building.