By FARRAH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
NINE people, including a 17-year-old girl, were yesterday charged with possessing and uttering forged documents after they attempted to travel domestically using falsified COVID-19 test results.
In the first case, Scott Davis, 40, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes after he presented a fake Doctors Hospital health system negative COVID-19 RT PCR test to an official at Lynden Pindling International Airport on March 26.
The Andros man admitted trying to use the fake COVID-19 test to travel back to his settlement in the southern part of the island.
The court was told that Davis, who was travelling to South Andros, presented the fraudulent test to the chair of the COVID ambassador centre at the travel checkpoint at the airport around 7.45am that day. The prosecution said when the woman examined the negative test, she became suspicious and summoned a police officer. After they conducted a preliminary inquiry, Davis was arrested and cautioned. During an interview with police at a nearby station, he owned up to the offence.
Yesterday, the Bluff native was represented by attorney Devard Francis. He told the magistrate his client was a fisherman by trade who was contrite for his actions. He also said Davis committed the offence because he was about to take his one-year old toddler to see his other children in Andros. Noting the charges brought against the defendant had “no hallmarks of violence or egregious criminality,” he urged the magistrate to temper justice with mercy.
In response, Magistrate Forbes said if a person purposely provided fraudulent documents to travel, it meant that they intended to jeopardise everybody they came in contact with on the flight as well as their own lives. Stating the offence was “nothing that could be taken lightly,” he adjourned the matter to April 7 to consider a suitable punishment.
Davis was released on $2,000 bail in the interim.
Yesterday, Requlla Smith, 41, who comes from George Town, Exuma, appeared before Magistrate Forbes for the same offence.
She was arraigned minutes before Kevin Taylor, 23, Patrice Rolle, 37, and Rodesha Munnings, 24 — all residents of New Providence — who were also accused of using fake COVID tests to leave the capital on March 26 and 27.
All denied the allegations and their cases were adjourned to July 28 for trial. Smith, Taylor, Rolle and Munnings were each granted $2,000 bail.
Yesterday, two more Andros residents and a Nassau man appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt to answer to the fake COVID test charges.
Samuel Colebrooke, 24, a 17-year-old girl, and Edroy Rolle, 30, pleaded guilty and their cases were adjourned to April 1 for the presentation of the prosecution’s facts and sentencing. They were all released on bail.
Yesterday, they were arraigned alongside Janae Jolly, 25, who denied the allegations. Her case was also adjourned to April 1 to determine bail. Jolly was remanded into custody.
Two more Nassauvians appeared before the chief magistrate; however, witnesses were not listed on the court dockets and the magistrate said as the accused “were not properly before the court” she would not have them enter pleas.
They return to court on April 15 to be formally charged. Both were granted $3,500 bail.
Commenting has been disabled for this item.