Vendor on robbery charge denied bail

A St James man who was recently taken before the St James Parish Court on three counts of robbery was denied bail when it was revealed that he had two previous warrants out for his arrest.

Christopher Henry, a 20-year-old vendor of a Barrett Town address, was before the court on two counts of robbery with aggravation and one count of robbery with violence. The charges stemmed from three separate incidents for which the allegations were not outlined.

During Henry's bail hearing, his attorney, Betty-Ann Waite, told Presiding Judge Sandria Wong-Small that her client did not have any prior convictions.

"He has never been charged or convicted before the court for any offence before these matters that are now before the court. I am asking that he be admitted to bail, plus any conditions that you consider to be applicable to him," said Waite.

But Wong-Small denied the application, pointing out that Henry previously had two warrants issued for his arrest and that he had failed to surrender himself to the police on both occasions.

"How do you respond to the fact that your client apparently has a problem surrendering to police custody? There were two warrants out for him, one for an offensive weapon and one for smoking in a public place, and he has a history of not surrendering to custody," said Wong-Small.

The judge also expressed concerns that Henry had several matters before the court, and that he could reoffend if allowed out on bail.

Henry was subsequently remanded until May 9, when he will be brought back to court.