The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

DISMISSED constable Toni Sweeting was granted $100,000 bail yesterday morning in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that she be released on bond if her drug trial was not completed by December 18.

However, Justice Bernard Turner warned the 27-year-old Coral Harbour resident that if she breached any of the conditions set out by the court, her bail would be revoked.

Sweeting must have suretors sign her bond, is required to report to the Nassau Street police station three days a week on or before 6pm, must surrender her travel documents to the court and must not leave the country.

On Tuesday, Sweeting, along with her brother Delano Sweeting and 33-year old Jamaican Conrad Campbell, appeared before Magistrate Andrew Forbes for the commencement of their $64,000 cocaine seizure trial which had been adjourned on two previous occasions.

The trial first stopped following the prosecution’s request for an adjournment prompted by defence lawyer Murrio Ducille making several legal arguments pertaining to the line of questioning they had taken with witnesses.

The former officer and her brother Delano, a pageant coach and franchise owner, face four drug charges in connection with an April 19 cocaine raid at Lynden Pindling International Airport.

It is claimed they committed these crimes along with Campbell, who was arraigned a week later.

The Sweetings and their co-accused denied the charges and pleaded not guilty.

When the three applied for bail to the Supreme Court, only the pageant coach and the Jamaican national were granted bail.

The 27-year-old was deemed a flight risk by Senior Justice Jon Isaacs and that decision was upheld in the Court of Appeal when she applied there.

When the trial did not commence in October, the former officer reapplied for bail to Justice Bernard Turner, who deferred his decision on the matter on three occasions until November 13, when he denied bail.

However, the judge further informed attorney Mr Ducille that he would set a December 4 status hearing for Sweeting with respect to the start of her trial.

In that hearing, after the trial failed to commence a second time, Justice Turner said that if the trial was not completed by December 18, Sweeting would be released on $100,000 bail on condition she report to police daily.

However her reporting conditions have since changed; she must now report to police every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until the completion of her trial.