Court orders boy to attend church

A minor facing a charge of simple larceny in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court was offered bail last week, with a condition attached that he should attend church.

The minor was offered bail in the sum of $300,000 with at least three sureties by Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague last Friday.

The judge ordered that the minor is to attend church with his mother every other Sunday and he is to enrol at a high school in the Corporate Area to complete his secondary education.

As part of his strict bail conditions, he was ordered to reside with his mother at her Kingston address and to report to the police on Wednesdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. He was made the subject of a daily curfew between 6 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.

"He will have a bail book which he will take to the police station, and he needs a church book and when he comes to court, he will come with both books. That book [the church book] is to be signed by a pastor, not by a regular member. This is the courts trying to bend this tree in the way that he should go," the judge stressed. The mother is also to bring proof of his enrolment at the school at the next court date. He is expected to return to court March 10.

In the meantime, Kevaun Smith, the co-accused, was to be sentenced yesterday but was remanded in custody. The complainant is seeking compensation of $250,000 for repairs as well as damages done to his motor vehicle including a broken glass and to the kill switch system.

Smith told the judge that he has family members who could make restitution on his behalf. He is remanded until February 10 when he is to be sentenced.