Trinidad: Journalists granted bail

CMC – Two media workers, including a crime reporter, alleged to have been involved in a robbery of a liquor mart, have been granted bail and will re-appear in court on June 22.



Senior Magistrate Lucina Cardenas-Ragoonanan sitting in the Arima court, granted bail to Trinidad Express crime reporter Akile Simon and Brendon Alexander, both of whom are employed with the Caribbean Communications Network (CCN), a member of the One Caribbean Group (OCM).



Simon, who faces 10 charges arising out of the robbery, was released on TT$250,000 or US$41,666 bail, while Alexander, a cameraman with CCN television was granted TT$60,000 or US$10,000 bail with a surety on the two charges.



The two media workers, along with other men, security officer Marlie Charles and taxi-driver Randy Borris are charged with robbing the owner of K&A Liquor Mart of over TT$300,000 on May 20.



Borris was granted TT$12,500) bail, but the magistrate ordered that Charles remanded “into custody until it can be determined where he lives".



During the bail application hearing, Magistrate Cardenas-Ragoonanan said "all kind of allegations" were being made in the media about the accused.



"They are innocent until proven guilty. I have heard some of the things that are being said and it is very, very unfair," Cardenas-Ragoonanan said.



"I am very sorry to see that these things have happened. I did not expect to hear what I heard and I would like to see what is proper," she said.



Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal, who is representing Simon, made the application for the gag order, noting that the intention was not to "curtail the power of the press" but instead to preserve the right of the accused to a fair trial.



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