A police constable with 15 years service was granted $40,000 bail when he appeared before a Princes Town magistrate charged with possession of ammunition yesterday.
Ian Bishop, 36, of Naparima Mayaro, New Grant, appeared before Magistrate Debra Quintyne in the Princes Town court charged with possession of 12 rounds of .358 ammunition.
Bishop, a father of two, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
He was represented by attorneys Subhas Panday, Petronilla Basdeo and Chris Ramlal.
Basdeo told the court her client, acting on certain information, went to the Princes Town Police Station on Sunday. She said the officers there, led by Corporal Charles, left him in the station’s charge room and returned sometime later with the ammunition.
She said at this point her client was informed that a search warrant was carried out on his car and the ammunition was found.
She said her client was unsure whether the ammunition was found in his vehicle or whether the search warrant was carried out because he was not present at the time.
Court prosecutor Sgt Roger Richardson said that the warrant was carried out and the ammunition found while Bishop was at the police station.
Before the matter was called, she asked Quintyne to grant her time to speak to her client privately, stating she was not allowed to do so up until then.
Quintyne granted her the time, allowing her to use the witness room adjacent to the First Court and ordering a police officer to stand guard outside the room.
During the hearing, Basdeo said when she met with her client at the police station, he was surrounded by officers.
“They said it was for my protection, but I never felt threatened in any way,” she said.
She said that if Richardson consented to an expedited trial date, the defence attorneys would not request the ammunition to be sent to the Forensic Science Centre for testing.
She asked Quintyne to grant Bishop his own bail, stating he was willing to surrender his passport and submit to any conditions set by the court, but Quintyne refused the request.
Instead, Quintyne granted Bishop $40,000 bail, with his uncle to stand as surety. The matter was adjourned until October 14.