UPDATED: Policeman on attempted shopbreaking charge wants back his firearm

Orville Morgan, attorney for one of the policemen allegedly involved in an attempted shopbreaking last year, renewed his call for his client’s licensed firearm to be returned after the accused were offered bail yesterday in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

The cop, Daenard Meikle, 35, who is represented by Morgan, is one of four persons accused of attempting to rob an establishment in Kingston on December 29, 2021.

All four have been charged with attempted shopbreaking, conspiracy to shopbreaking and breach of the Disaster Risk Management Act.  Christoph Campbell, the other policemen before the court in the matter has the additional charge of illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.

Last week, in a part-heard bail application before Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague, Morgan told the court that his client is a licensed firearm holder, and is requesting that his client’s firearm be returned.

“If his licensed firearm should be returned to him, taking it that he has to find some other job in the order that he goes on suspension, he may have to find some other job so that he can have some medium to earn,” the lawyer submitted to the court.

To Morgan’s request, the judge commented “I will consider that too Mr Morgan.”

When the matter was mentioned yesterday for the judge to hand down her judgement on the bail applications, Morgan again asked that his client’s firearm be returned. However, his request was denied.

“Well, I would wish to contemplate on it further,” Cole-Montague replied.

The accused were offered bail in the sum of $600,000 with at least two sureties. They were made the subject of a daily curfew and were ordered not to visit the Kingston 2 area. Each defendant was ordered to surrender his travel document and a stop order was issued. The men were also ordered to report to the police daily.

They are expected to return to court on April 7.

Reports from the Elletson Road police are that the four men conspired with one other man known as ‘Finger’ and ‘Elder’, to rob a bar on Windward Road, Kingston. They went to the location where the two policemen stood guard, and two civilians watched as ‘Elder’ proceeded to cut the main padlock on the grille of a bar. Their plans were, however, thwarted by a team of police officers who showed up. The cops were found with two firearms, one of which is an illegal weapon