Judge bans accused robbers from downtown MoBay

Two St James men who allegedly robbed another man at knifepoint have been banned from entering Montego Bay's downtown district as part of their bail conditions.

Delroy Wright and Alex Nugent, both labourers of Flanker addresses, are charged with robbery with aggravation. It is alleged that on October 1, the complainant was walking along Harbour Street in downtown Montego Bay when he was accosted by the defendants, who put a bag over his head and held a knife to his neck while telling him not to make a sound. The complainant was then robbed of a Samsung Galaxy cellular phone, a battery pack, and $21,000. Security officers who were nearby saw what was happening and detained the men. The police were then summoned, following which Wright and Nugent were arrested and charged.

During the defendants' bail hearing on Wednesday in the St James Parish Court, presiding Parish Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton rejected an application from defence lawyer Chumu Parris for the men to be allowed to report at the Barnett Street Police Station.

"These allegations were made about something that happened in the town of Montego Bay proper. Both of you are staying out of Montego Bay proper," Fairclough-Hylton said. "I do not want you in this area, where people do their commerce in downtown Montego Bay. Whatever you need downtown, someone else will buy for you." The court was also told that a corroborating officer's statement and an additional witness statement are outstanding from the case file.

Wright and Nugent were each offered $450,000 bail with three sureties and were ordered to report to the Coral Gardens Police Station. They were also ordered to surrender their fingerprints and their passports to the police, and a stop order was made for them at all ports of entry.

The case will be mentioned on November 6, when both men will be brought back to court.