No bail for 'Sunday'

AKIDO “Sunday” Williams was denied bail on Thursday by deputy Chief Magistrate Cherill-Anne Antoine because of the seriousness of the charge against him.

He is charged with counselling an alleged gang leader sometime in November last year, at Beetham Gardens and other locations, and providing instructions or guidance in furtherance of gang-related activities.

Antoine said she considered the arguments of Williams’ attorney Darren Mitchell and the prosecution on the question of bail and was exercising her discretion, as afforded to her under Section 6(3)(a) of the Bail Act of 1994, in denying bail.

That section sets out the circumstances in which bail may be denied and the sub-section Antoine relied on allows the court to consider the nature and seriousness of the offence.

She also said that section also considers the prevalence of the offences, and she took into consideration the prosecution’s arguments that Williams may abscond, as the offence he is accused of carries a 25-year sentence.

Antoine said while she respected that he gave himself up to police, he had two pending matters, albeit on minor charges, for resisting arrest and obstructing the passageway, and while he was out on bail for those, “this offence arose.”

Williams was advised to apply to a judge in chambers for bail and his case was transferred to the Eighth Magistrates’ Court, where Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle is presiding over the matter of Ancil Villafana, Kevin Franklyn, and Kedel Montrose, who remain in custody on gang-related charges.

Villafana and Franklyn face an additional charge of being leaders of a gang.

Antoine said the matters were linked and asked if Williams would agree to return to court on November 29, when the three others are expected to reappear. He declined, so he will come back on November 14.

Earlier, before she gave her ruling on bail, Antoine stood the matter down on two occasions. The first was to allow the police to bring a retired police officer who charged Williams for robbery with violence. Prosecutors tried to persuade the judge that Williams was convicted of that offence on the say-so of the retired policeman.

Mitchell denied this, saying the charge had been dismissed.

When the retired policeman came to court, he said he could not say what happened with Williams’ case, since he was not in the country when the verdict was given, but had been told Williams had been fined $200.

Williams, an employee of the Housing Development Corporation, was charged on Tuesday by officers of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which is part of the Criminal Gang Intelligence Unit.

He surrendered to police on October 2, the day after three men from Beetham Gardens appeared in court charged with gang-related offences and Police Commissioner Gary Griffith issued a media release asking for information on his whereabouts.

Williams first appeared in court on Wednesday, but bail was not considered since the police did not have an updated criminal record for him.