Burglary accused granted bail after mental health check

After evaluation at the Mental Health Centre (MHC), bail has been allowed in the case of a young man accused of burglarizing a shop in Barrouallie while being armed with a homemade gun.

McRico Ash of Barrouallie returned to the Serious Offences Court (SOC) this Tuesday, June 9, after a 14-day stint at the MHC.

At the accused’s return, Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne commented that he was seemed to be doing very well, and looked much better.

Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delplesche, who previously made the application for the accused to be sent to the MHC for observation based on his record, indicated that he had no objection to bail for the accused.

However, conditional to the allowance of bail, Delplesche asked for reporting conditions to be attached. Furthermore, he requested that there be no contact with the virtual complainant in the matter, and all travel documents be suspended.

The magistrate set bail at $12,000 with one surety. She attached reporting conditions to the Barrouallie police station every Monday until the completion of the matter, as well as a no contact order.

Ash is also to surrender his passport, as well as ID Card, and must seek the permission of the court to travel.

The father of the accused was present seemingly with intentions to bail his son and the court engaged him. The magistrate asked him to ensure that his son works with whatever is being administered. “He looks so much better,” Browne noted, adding that she was pleased with his progress. However, she again asked the father to try his best to keep his son on the regimen.

Nonetheless the accused did not make bail by the end of the court session for that day.

He will instead return to the SOC on September 28, at which time the court may begin to examine the evidence in the matter.

It will contemplate the charges that Ash, on May 19 in Keartons, Barrouallie, broke into the provision shop of Dudley Dickson of Barrouallie and stole items and cash worth $248, while being in possession of a homemade shotgun. Further, he is charged with, on the same date and in the same place, being in possession of one round of Remington 12-gauge ammunition without a license.