ALYSSA PHILLIP and her mother Camille Caresquero, who were arrested during a protest near the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) last week, have been granted reduced bail.
The two appeared before Magistrate Indira Ramnarine Misir-Gosine in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court yesterday, where they pleaded not guilty to two charges arising out of the demonstration.
The women were arrested last Wednesday during a protest along Richmond Street, Port of Spain, where demonstrators gathered near the DPP’s office to voice opposition to the decision to charge Kaia Sealy with manslaughter and firearms-related offences in connection with the January 20 death of her common-law husband Joshua Samaroo in St Augustine at the hands of police.
Phillip, the protest organiser, and Caresquero are charged with behaving in a disorderly manner and with breaching section 11(A) of the Emergency Powers Regulations. The provision prohibits persons from seeking, whether orally or otherwise, to influence public opinion in a manner likely to be prejudicial to public safety or public order.
Following their arrest, police granted both women station bail in the sum of $40,000 each. However, after submissions from their attorneys, Fayola Sandy and Stacy Benjamin-Roach, Magistrate Misir-Gosine reduced their bail to $10,000 each.
The matter was adjourned to June 12.
During the protest Wednesday blogger and social media personality Jason De Silva was also detained and had been granted bail but the Express was unable to confirm whether he had yet appeared in court.
