Weeping man begs magistrate not to revoke bail

“Your Honour, please, please! Please Ma’am. Miss DaBreo, please! Miss DaBreo!”

That was how Kevern Leonard begged when Magistrate Ayanna Baptiste-DaBreo this month revoked the bail she had offered him some four months ago.

Leonard’s plea for bail was shortly followed by tears and a temper tantrum when the magistrate told court orderlies to take him away.

The 29-year-old man also threw himself to the floor of the court and started to bawl.

“Why you gotta do this to me Ma’am?” he screamed as police officers escorted him from the court at John’s Hole, Tortola.

Magistrate Baptiste-DaBreo revoked Leonard’s bail after she heard fresh allegations that the accused had stolen several parts from a man’s vehicle and then sold them.

He allegedly stole the vehicle radiator, air conditioning unit, master cylinder, radio, a fluid overflow bottle, and power steering pump – all totaling $987 in value.

Leonard pleaded not guilty.

Fingerprints found

The prosecution reported that the complainant in the matter had a Jeep that was ‘down’ for some time.

He parked the vehicle close to where he lived, but visited it from time to time to do a visual check.

The court heard that, during a routine check on December 22 last year, the vehicle owner noticed that a ‘cut hose’ was hanging at the front driver’s side of the vehicle.

He reported the matter to the police.

As a result, police launched an investigation and lifted latent fingerprint samples from under the hood of the vehicle, the front bumper, and near the top of the car.

Leonard was subsequently taken into custody on February 24 this year.

During a police interview, he admitted to taking the car parts and selling them, the court heard.

The accused then gave police a fingerprint sample that reportedly matched the ones lifted from the vehicle in question.

In court, the accused man was asked why he pleaded not guilty although he confessed to the crime during a police interview, and although his fingerprints were found on the vehicle.

“I used to work on the jeep; that’s why my fingerprints were there,” he responded.

Leonard is scheduled to return to court on April 4 for trial.

He, in an unrelated case, is also charged with possession of goods reasonably suspected of being stolen.