Contractor Stephen Wrinkle and tour guide Edena Farah were released on bail yesterday pending their appearance before the Appellate Court in April. The Court of Appeal overturned Magistrate Derence-Rolle-Davis’ decision to not allow bail for either of the imprisoned defendants.
On Wednesday, Magistrate Rolle refused to allow bail for either defendant pending their appeals, saying it would defeat the purpose of sentencing them.
In separate cases, Wrinkle, a well-known contractor and former head of the Bahamas Contractor’s Association, and Farah, a tour guide, were both ordered jailed for one year by controversial Magistrate Rolle.
Rolle has the highest rate of decisions that have been overturned on appeal. Many people feel he is completely incompetent and not suited to be a judge.
Prior to his apppointment by Burton Hall, Rolle was an attorney whose behaviour was criticized on more than one occasion.
BahamasB2B.com, the nation’s most popular website, was the only news media that voiced outrage over Magistrate Rolle’s decision, prompting a massive pulic outcry against what most Bahamians considered a gross injustice and an abuse of judicial power.
Wrinkle, 61, of Eastern Road, was convicted of stealing electricity for a building that he manages. Ms Farah was convicted on two counts of assaulting police officers who were aggressively trying to arrest her for a traffic incident. She was beaten by up to six police officers and bitten about the body by one female officer in what could only be characterized as police abuse.
Neither of the convicts had any previous brushes with the law, making it hard to justify a one-year prison sentence for either of them. Especially when murderers, rapists and cocaine dealers are routinely released on bail pending their appeals.
The Appeal Court, headed by President Anita Allen and comprised of Justices Stanley John and Abdulai Contech granted both prisoners bail pending their appeals after prosecuting attorney Anthony Delaney did not oppose the application.
Defence lawyers Jomo Campbell and his boss Wayne Munroe, alomg with Italia Cartwright said it was unusual that that the court would grant bail for the defendants post-conviction and that the prosecution would not object to their release. In fact, the bail for each defendant was actually reduced from the amount prior to their convictions.
Wrinkle was on $10,000 bail, which was reduced to $2,000. Farah was previously on $5,000 bail, which was reduced to $1,000.
