3 men found living in house they didn’t rent or own
Two of the three arrested and charged with simple larceny and house breaking were given bail when they appeared in the St Ann’s Bay RM court on Thursday, July 10. Bail of $150,000 was offered to Joel Beckford of Montego Bay, St James and Martin Johnson of Content Gardens, St Ann while the third man, 23-year-old Donmar Facey of Gordon Pen, St Catherine was remanded in custody for his address to be verified. The men appeared before the court on Friday, July 4 and Beckford was offered bail. However, when he appeared in court Thursday, July 10 he had not taken up his bail. The other men were denied bail on their first court appearance as their addresses were to be verified. In court last Thursday, an aunt of Johnson told the court that her nephew left the house after his mother reprimanded him. “He wants to be up and down on the road, Your Honour.” She said that she could not explain why Johnson had a house to live and broke into someone’s house and is giving the court the impression that he has nowhere to live. “Fi him company wha him want mi can’t explain,” she said. On July 4, the St Ann’s Bay RM court was left puzzled as to how three men, from three different addresses managed to gain access to a house in Exchange, St Ann and took up residence without the owner’s consent or awareness. The court was told that on Friday, June 27, the police were called to a house in Exchange after the caretaker of the house, Sandra Sewel reportedly heard noises in the house when she visited. It is reported that while she was there, three men came from the house and one ran away into nearby bushes. When the police came to the house and encquired how they got into the house, one of the men reportedly used a knife to open the front door, and then retrieved a key which he used to open other doors in the house. It was reported by the caretaker of the house that items were not in the areas where they were left, and a window was broken. A television set, a bed and other utensils reportedly owned by the men were also found in the house. In their defense, each of the men told RM Andrea Thomas their reason for being in the house. Tracey said that he was looking for a place to rent as he was from Spanish Town and was working in the parish. He said that while visiting a church in the area, he was offered help. “I couldn’t find anywhere to stay and a young man say he could help me with a place to stay,” he said. Tracey said he was given a key and was taken to the house by the young man and was also told that it was an abandoned house and that the man who gave them the house said it belonged to his family who lived overseas. Johnson also stated that since he lost his job, he was unable to pay his rent, and was also seeking a place to live and that was when he met the same guy who is said to have offered Tracey the key. Beckford, in his defense, stated that he was visiting a church in St Ann’s Bay and opted to stay with Johnson, who was his church brother, before he left for home the following day. He said that Johnson told him that he paid rent for a place and that he could stay there. Johnson said: “He acted as if the house was his, Your Honour.” RM Thomas then said: “There is an underlying story that I can see right away.”
