St. Lucian Man Charged with Theft – Mahatma Corriette Faces Firearm Charges
A 25-year-old St. Lucian man residing on River Street in Roseau, Shakur Ward, has been brought up on charges of theft and burglary for allegedly stealing 12,480 Clipper cigarette lighters valued at $44,200. The incident reportedly occurred at Melville Battery in Kingshill on May 20, with the lighters said to belong to Daryl Bapaume.
Ward was arraigned before Magistrate Michael Laudat and the charges were presented by Police Inspector Francis Laville. He had no legal representation. As the case is indictable due to the high value of the stolen items, Ward was not obligated to submit a plea. Instead, he requested bail, promising to reform his behavior and vowing not to reoffend.
Inspector Laville did not oppose bail, but insisted on stringent conditions. Magistrate Laudat granted Ward bail in the amount of $45,000, contingent on the provision of a surety. The case has been adjourned until October 10. At present, Ward remains in custody at the Dominica State Prison, having neither provided a surety nor paid the bail amount.
In a separate case, Magistrate Laudat recused himself from proceedings involving Mahatma Corriette, a resident of Bellevue Chopin. Corriette is charged with possession of a semi-automatic pistol, a firearm magazine, and two rounds of .765 ammunition. These items were reportedly confiscated on June 11.
Corriette’s attorney, Joshua Francis, disputes the police account, alleging that his client had wrested the weapon from a masked assailant on June 9 and subsequently turned it over to the authorities, who then accused Corriette of possession. Due to these conflicts, Judge Laudat stepped aside in the interest of justice.
Corriette was granted $30,000 bail, with his father, Raphael Corriette, acting as surety. The case has been postponed to September 25, with Corriette ordered to report daily to the Grand Bay police station until that time.
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