Accused Towers arsonist allegedly issued threat beforehand

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The man accused of setting a garage and a house ablaze in Towers last week was said to have threatened to commit arson on the premises weeks before, according to prosecutors.

Jarvis ‘Dupey’ Alexander, a 30-year-old Towers resident, was charged with two counts of arson.

He is accused of setting fire to the garage owned by Godfrey Gabriel, a mechanic, and a wooden house occupied by Kareem Hall. The property is owned by Alexander and the court was informed that part of the land was leased to the two complainants to get extra income to support Dupey’s sick father.

The allegations

The prosecution alleged that in January, Gabriel and Alexander had a verbal argument and the altercation ended in the accused threatening to burn down Gabriel’s garage ‘since he was acting like a bad man’.

The court heard that on January 19, at approximately 3:30 pm, Gabriel was working in his garage, located on the same compound as Alexander. The accused allegedly entered his house then returned with a towel and accused Gabriel of using it.

The mechanic denied the accusations but according to the prosecution, Alexander allegedly shouted, ‘you taking me for a joke, I am going to burn down your place’.

The court heard that Gabriel responded by saying Alexander should go ahead if he wanted to put himself in trouble. The prosecution claimed the accused re-entered his house, emerged with a red gas bottle and started sprinkling the contents on the mechanic’s garage.

The prosecution said he left and returned with a box of matches and lit the fire. The court heard the complainant ran to a nearby drum and used the water to extinguish the fire. Gabriel began removing vehicles of customers out of fear that Alexander was serious with his threats, according to the prosecution.

The court was told Gabriel went to the police station to seek assistance. While doing this, he received a call from someone that his garage was on fire. Gabriel returned and managed to remove a cylinder of gas from the building but was unable to salvage anything else.

The mechanic described the damage as substantial; the court was informed. The fire also spread to Hall’s apartment and caused damage to the structure and his personal belongings, according to the prosecution.

The court was told an eyewitness who lived on the property saw him lighting the matches and set the garage on fire. When the police arrived, the prosecution said, Alexander was arrested and told the officers he did not have anything to say. He also denied the allegations.

Bail application

In his bail application, Alexander’s attorney, Valerie Gordon, argued he should be granted bail on humanitarian grounds. She said the COVID-19 outbreak in the prison would mean putting Alexander at great risk of contracting the virus. She also added there are means to ensure Alexander does not interfere with Gabriel or the other complainant, Hall. She referenced the tracking device used by the government for persons quarantining after entry into the territory. Gordon noted Alexander was the caretaker of his father who is blind and diabetic and also has one of his legs amputated.

In denying the bail application, Magistrate Khadeen Palmer said arson is one of the most serious offences in Virgin Island’s law punishable by life imprisonment. She noted Alexander has a right to bail but the public interest outbalances the constitutional scale.

Magistrate Palmer said the higher the penalty, the greater the chance of the accused fleeing the territory despite being a BVIslander.

The matter will be tried in the Supreme Court. As a result, no plead was taken. The case was adjourned until February 24, for a psychological report on Alexander.