Garage operator and co-accused freed in stolen motor vehicle case

A garage operator and another man who were charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle were freed on Thursday after a parish court judge upheld a no-case submission.

Alphius Drummonds, a garage operator, and Courtney Smith were charged on April 14, 2022, with receiving stolen property following the discovery of motor vehicle parts at Drummonds’ business place.

It was alleged that Smith sold a white Toyota Axio to Drummonds for $200,000. Several vehicle parts, believed to be from a Toyota Axio, were later found on his premises.

The case arose from a 2020 incident in which a woman borrowed her friend’s white Toyota Axio to conduct business in May Pen, Clarendon. She reported the vehicle stolen after returning to find it missing from where she had parked it.

A report was made at the May Pen Police Station, and investigations conducted by detectives from the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Division later linked the theft to a group of men from the parish.

During the trial, defence attorneys John Jacobs, who represented Drummonds, and Dwight Reece, who appeared for Smith, argued that there was no evidential link between their clients and the stolen vehicle.

Jacobs submitted that although parts were found at his client’s garage, the prosecution failed to present identifying features, such as the licence plate, engine number, or chassis number, necessary to prove the parts came from the stolen vehicle.

Parish Court Judge Andrea English agreed, ruling that the prosecution had not established a sufficient case for the men to answer.

- Tanesha Mundle

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