Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter
A MINIBUS driver whose driver's licence and motor vehicle documents were seized by a policeman for an alleged traffic offence had to spend five days in jail this month before he was able to take up his $70,000 bail.
Raymond Edwards said his ordeal started minutes after 4:00 p.m. on March 1, when a policeman stopped him on March Pen Road, near Spanish Town, St. Catherine, and accused him of picking up passengers away from the bus stop. He said the policeman told him that he did not have his ticket book to issue him a traffic ticket. Mr. Edwards said the policeman took his driver's licence and the relevant documents for the minibus. The policeman told him to collect them along with the traffic ticket at the Spanish Town Police Station.
SECOND ACCUSATION
He took the passengers to go to downtown Kingston and, when he went to the police station later that same evening, the policeman was not there. He said he asked if the documents were there and was told no.
Mr. Edwards said he was at South Parade, downtown Kingston, about 4:00 p.m. on March 2, when another policeman accused him of operating contrary to the terms of the road licence. The policeman asked him for his driver's licence and documents for the minibus. He told him that another policeman had seized them.
The policeman took him to the Traffic Court that same evening and he pleaded not guilty to the charge. He was granted bail in the sum of $100,000 with a surety to return to court on June 19. He was taken into custody because he did not have anyone to bail him at that time of the evening.
Nasita Thorpe, who volunteered to bail Mr. Edwards, spoke of the hardships she encountered. She said she went to the Traffic Court on March 2, but she did not have the $100,000 so Edwards was taken to the South Camp Remand Centre at Camp Road, Kingston. Miss Thorpe said she went to the Spanish Town Police Station at 7:30 a.m. the Friday and was told that the policeman was not there and Mr. Edwards' documents had not been left at the station. She said a senior police officer telephoned the policeman and he turned up at 11:30 a.m. and gave her the traffic ticket and the driver's licence.
WEEKEND IN JAIL
On the Friday afternoon, she said she went to the court's office at the Traffic Court, but she had only $80,000 and someone had promised to take $20,000 to her. She was informed that money was not collected after 3:00 p.m., but a clerk said she would give her extra time to pay the money. Miss Thorpe said it was impossible for the person to take the money to her before 4:00 p.m. so Mr. Edwards had to spend the weekend in jail.
The following Monday, Miss Thorpe sought the intervention of Public Defender Howard Hamilton, Q.C., and his deputy Noel Irving and they contacted the Traffic Court and were successful in having the bail reduced to $70,000.
When Miss Thorpe presented the bail papers at 2:15 that afternoon, she was told that, although the Justice of the Peace had signed her photograph, the JP should have stamped it. She rushed to get the photograph stamped but when she returned at 2:50 p.m. she was told there was a staff meeting in progress. She was there until 3:10 p.m. when she was informed that the money could not be collected because the armoured security van had already left. Mr. Edwards had to spend another night in jail and was finally bailed about midday on the Tuesday.
Mr. Irving confirmed last week that he and the Public Defender assisted in getting Mr. Edward's bail reduced. He said that Mr. Edwards had not made a formal complaint to the office but, as soon as that was done, they would be looking into the circumstances that led to him spending five nights in jail.
A member of the court staff confirmed that Mr. Edwards was taken to the Traffic Court and granted bail. However, the clerk explained that Miss Thorpe had been informed that, though the court's office closed at 3:00 p.m. the Friday, she would be given extra time to get the balance of the money but was unsuccessful in getting the money that day.
