Powell to seek bail on Friday
Published:Tuesday | July 26, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter
A bail application is to be made on Friday for Patrick Powell, the businessman charged with the murder of 17-year-old Kingston College student Khajeel Mais.
Mais was shot dead on the night of July 1 when the driver of a BMW X6 sport utility vehicle allegedly opened fire on the taxi in which he was travelling.
When Powell appeared in the Home Circuit Court yesterday, Caroline Hay, deputy director of public prosecutions, said that last Friday the defence was served with some of the documents in the case. She said by Thursday, more documents, including the post mortem report, will be served. However, the forensic reports would not be available this week.
Dragged before court
Queen's Counsel Patrick Atkinson, who is representing 50-year-old Powell, commented on the need to have the documents ready and handed over in a timely manner. He said Powell was dragged before the court and the prosecution did not know when the case was going to be ready.
"All I am asking is for the director of public prosecutions to take charge and get things ready," Atkinson said.
Atkinson, who is appearing with attorney-at-law Deborah Martin, told Supreme Court judge Marjorie Cole-Smith that they were going to make a bail application on Friday.
Powell is charged with murder, shooting with intent, illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition and failure to produce a firearm for inspection in relation to the Mais case.
Powell appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court last Thursday, a day after he was charged with the offences. All the charges, except the charge for failure to produce a firearm for inspection, were immediately transferred to the Home Circuit Court. The decision followed the entering of a voluntary bill of indictment by the director of public prosecutions.
Yesterday, Atkinson complained to the judge that the case was mentioned on Friday, in their absence, when it was known that they were still at the RM court dealing with another aspect of the case against Powell.