(Trinidad Express) Six police officers who appeared in court yesterday charged with setting fire to a teenager were granted a total of TT$300,000 bail by a San Fernando magistrate.
Corporal Roger Reid, 45, a father of three of Siparia; constable Bryan Dookie, 34, of Barrackpore; constable Andre Watson, 34, a father of four of Couva; constable Simon Marshall, 27, of Couva; constable Pradeep Ramdhin, 26, of Rio Claro, and woman police constable Alena Ambrally, 29, of Barrackpore appeared in the First Court.
The six appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington charged with misbehaviour in public office by unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on Jamerson John on December 24, 2013, while in police custody.
They were not called upon to plead to the charges which were laid indictably by Sgt Seepersad of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Professional Standards Bureau.
The six were brought to the courthouse in two marked and one unmarked, heavily tinted police vehicles at around 12.15 p.m.
Attorney Richard Valere represented the five male police officers and attorney Sasha Paula Singh represented the lone female officer.
In their applications for bail Valere and Singh said their clients had unblemished records with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.
Reid has 25 years service, Dookie 15 years, Watson 13 years, Marshall three years, Ramdhin two years and Ambrally has four-and-a-half years service.
Prosecutor Cleydon Seedan did not object to bail.
Wellington granted them each TT$50,000 bail or a cash alternative of TT$30,000.
It is alleged that police officers stripped John, 18, to his underpants, doused him with methylated spirits and set him alight after he refused to confess to robbing two people and breaking into a house near his Moruga home.
John was hospitalised for burns to his torso, leg and genital area.
The matter was postponed to Friday and transferred to the Princes Town Magistrates’ Court.
