Yannick Wade, remanded for missing guns in San Pedro, gets bail

Yannick Wade

Police Constable Yannick Wade is out on bail. Today, his attorney, Audrey Matura-Shepherd applied for Supreme Court bail for Wade, who has been on remand since May fifth for charges relating to stolen KBH guns and ammunition from the San Pedro Police Station. When he appeared before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith earlier this month, Wade was arraigned for thirteen criminal charges—nine counts of Theft for allegedly dishonestly appropriating eight point thirty-eight revolvers and one hundred and one rounds of ammunition of the same calibre and two counts each for Kept Firearm without a Gun License and Kept Ammunitions without a License. The weapons reportedly went missing between April thirtieth and May second from the San Pedro Police Station and Wade, who was attached to that precinct, was nabbed as he visited with relatives in the city. Although he successfully received bail this morning, Matura-Shepherd says that his release is bittersweet.

Audrey Matura-Shepherd, Attorney for Yannick Wade

Audrey Matura-Shepherd

“Today we were able to get bail from the Supreme Court. You know the gun legislation says it is only through the Supreme Court. I hope that we get that legislation changed; it is really unjust what has happened. However, although we have bail now—that’s the good news. And there is another good news, he is coming out in time to witness the birth of his second child. His wife’s due date is this Sunday and you know that that’s one of the things that you try and keep family together. On the downside is that up to today, despite all my calls, the family of his wife has not gotten their phones back, five cell phones. I have called Mister Blackett, who is in charge of CIB; I’ve called Mister Broaster, who the family says he is the one who took away the phone; I’ve called Mister Grinage, who is also one of the persons involved in this investigation. And no results; they pretend as though they don’t even know where the phone is. So that is one of the things that okay you want to investigate, please return the property to the people; they didn’t even give them a receipt. While we will be dealing with the criminal aspect of this, we are left with no other choice but now to make a report and the police will have to investigate themselves for theft because that’s what it amounts to; you have deprived a person of their property. We have the constitution that prevents, or should prevent, all that kind of abuse. But either out of ignorance of the constitution or out of malice, certain things are done by different people in the police department—but I can’t say it is everybody, key people. Then to compound the situation, this gun law that we have, they use it as the ammunition that they need to go after people that when they want to break you down, they break you down. Now I keep saying to the police, investigate your cases properly; you have the evidence, charge the person and so. But man, why pressure the whole family? You don’t have charges against them. I tell you sometimes by the end of the day, by the time the trial comes, even though you get a not-guilty verdict, you’ve suffered at their hands already. You don’t even have to go to prison to be punished. The whole family and now it’s like a stigma that goes with it. So I think it is unjust.”