Exclusive: Guarded secret

Three prisoners were driven from one end of the island to the other so they could appear on a video link to the Supreme Court in Hamilton.

Kyle Daniels-Smith, Sanchea Douglas and Judah Roberts were taken all the way from the Co-Ed Facility in St George’s to Westgate in order to appear with their co-defendant, Sergio Robinson-Woolridge, for a video-link appearance at Monday’s Arraignments Session.

The move has sparked concern from some quarters of the legal profession, with some calling the arrangement a ‘waste of money’.

But a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Safety said the decision was ‘supported by a specific security assessment’.

Mr Robinson-Woolridge is currently being held at Westgate and the quartet are waiting to stand trial on charges for robbery and causing grievous bodily harm.

The Bermuda Sun understands this is the second time that the three 17-year-olds have been driven between the two correctional facilities, and passed Hamilton, to appear on a live link.

Lawyer Dantae Williams, who represents Mr Douglas, told the Bermuda Sun: “This is a waste of money.

“This is the second time that these three defendants have been taken from Co-Ed to Westgate for a court appearance.

“On a prior occasion when the trial was set to commence on May 21 the three defendants were driven past Supreme Court to Westgate in order to appear via video-link.

“The cost is further increased due to the unreliability of the video-link, which on a number of occasions causes significant delays to the hearing process.”

Lawyer Marc Daniels added: “At this juncture, I have not had the benefit of having spoken with the relevant authorities who would have made the decision to transport these individuals

“Of course, one could immediately look at the action taken by authorities and question whether this was a waste of the public purse. However, there could have been adequate rationale to make the journey from the east to the west so that all individuals could appear on screen together, moreover it could have been for security reasons.”

Mr Robinson-Woolridge, 22, Mr Daniels-Smith, Mr Douglas and Mr Roberts first appeared, in person, at Arraignments last November. 

All four denied robbing Kevin Abrahams on August 4, 2012, and causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Abrahams with intent.

They are due to face trial on August 5.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Safety told the Sun: “The movement of prisoners for court appearances is a matter for the Department of Corrections who consider all aspects of security surrounding the inmates in question. In this case the decision made is supported by a specific security assessment.”