Bail was yesterday denied to a United Kingdom deportee charged with 20 charges of fraud, including fraudulent use of debit cards and trafficking in counterfeit cards.
Nicholas Thornhill, 25, an electrician, complained about being ill-treated by the police when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Cherril-Anne Antoine in the San Fernando First Court.
The charges which stemmed from a scam involving RBC Royal Bank’s Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) allegedly occurred during the period July 22 and July 24.
Nineteen of the charges alleged that Thornhill with intent to defraud RBC Royal Bank used the cards of six people to withdraw sums of money from various ATMs, totalling $46,000.
The transactions were done at ATMs located at Tropical Plaza, Marabella, Southern Main Road, La Romaine, St James Street, San Fernando and Eastern Main Road, San Juan.
He was also charged with trafficking in counterfeit cards on July 24 at Tropical Plaza, Marabella.
All the charges were laid by Cpl Ann Marie Edwards of the Fraud Squad under The Electronic Transfer of Funds Crime Act.
Thornhill who was arrested by police two Sundays ago at Tropical Plaza, Marabella, complained through his attorney Jason Jackson that the police fed him pork sausages for breakfast at the CID office, knowing the he was a practising Muslim. As a result, Jackson said Thornhill went without food on more than one occasion.
Jackson was surprised his client was only charged with 20 offences since he was told the reason his client was kept in custody for so long was because he was facing 400 possible charges.
Prosecutor Cleyon Seedan, however, objected to bail on the grounds that the accused gave several addresses and the crimes were committed over a period of time and involved multiple victims.
However, Jackson countered that his client had a clean record, lived at Purcell Street, Vistabella, and the charges were bailable offences.
Seedan said when the police went to Purcell Street, the occupants said they did not know Thornhill. Jackson claimed Thornhill lived there only two months and went on to explain the other addresses his client gave to the police.
Jackson admitted his client was deported from the UK after a nine- month stay because he was charged with trafficking under a quarter kilogramme of cocaine.
Jackson suggested that the court grant bail and impose conditions, including that he surrendered his passport and reports to the police station.
The magistrate, however, remanded Thornhill into custody and advised him of his right to apply to a judge in chambers for bail. The matter was adjourned to August 30.