A 17-year-old has been granted bail for using fake $50 notes to purchase a bottle of brandy.
Elijah Akeem Copeland, of Chase Road, Halls Road, St Michael, committed the offence on February 15, 2017, while at Headquarters Sports Bar. He allegedly used four $50 notes to purchase the brandy valued at $154. The notes all carried the serial number J27091877.
On Monday, attorney Angella Mitchell-Gittens argued for, and got Magistrate Douglas Frederick to use his discretion in granting bail.
Prosecutor Rudy Pilgrim objected to bail because Copeland is already on bail in the High Court for a charge of endangering life, but Mitchell-Gittens rejected that argument.
She argued that the two charges were separate and that Pilgrim did not argue that her client had violated his bail. She said that because of his age, if Copeland were convicted it was unlikely that he would go to jail. She said the only thing that would be accomplished was taking Copeland away from his family.
Magistrate Frederick agreed and, noting that both actions Copeland is accused of could “easily occur”, he said he had to assume that the teenager was innocent. The magistrate granted bail in the sum of $5 000 and ordered Copeland to reappear on May 10. (YB)
