Court lifts Ninja Man curfew

Dancehall entertainer Ninja Man, whose real name is Desmond Ballentine, is now free to hit the stage to perform to raise critical funds to fight his murder rap. Today, defence lawyer Valerie Neita Robertson who is representing Ninja Man applied to the Supreme Court for his Ninja Man’s bail conditions to be varied. After three years behind bars Ninja Man and his son, who are charged jointly for murder, were granted bail in the sum of $2 million each. A term of the bail condition was that they should be at home between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. each night. Robertson argued that Ninja Man was suffering severe hardships because of the curfew. Justice Kirk Anderson heard the application and lifted the curfew. The judge ordered that Ninja Man could perform four nights each week. Last June, the entertainment fraternity organized a benefit concert to raise funds for the embattled deejay. Ninja Man and his son are to appear in the Home Circuit Court on July 16 when their trial is expected to start. They are charged jointly with Dennis Clayton and Seymour Samuels for the March 16, 2009 murder of Richard Johnson. (Jamaica Gleaner)