Doris Grant and Austin Underwood “spitefully” sent back to prison under State of Emergency, despite winning bail, says defense counsel

By Aaron Humes: An “infuriated” defense counsel for Doris Grant and Austin Underwood, charged with being a member of a gang, Ronell Gonzalez, has told our court reporter that an “outright act of malice [and] spitefulness” will keep his clients behind bars for several weeks more.

This morning, High Court Justice Derrick Sylvester had granted bail to Grant and Underwood, both residents of Reggae Street, Belize City, without objection from the Crown, per Gonzalez.

“Apparently State of Emergency documents were forwarded to the prison sometime around midday today and as such they cannot be released. I find it as an outright act of, if you want to say malice, spitefulness as we say in Kriol, on behalf of the police, being aware by some means or other that they were granted bail. And as such they cannot access their bail because there is another hurdle, yet to be crossed,” Gonzalez said in an interview at court this afternoon.

Gonzalez admits he was surprised at the lack of objection, as it is not normal, but added, “However, I can only assume that there was an ulterior motive behind the entire hearing, and it has played out now and we see the result. Unfortunately, my clients Miss Grant and Mr Underwood have to remain imprisoned under separate and different terms.”

He has yet to speak to his clients as he was working on the paperwork to get them released but presumes they feel, as he does, a sense of “extreme disappointment” at the outcome. They had appeared virtually from the prison during the application.

Both continue to suffer from gunshot injuries sustained in a shooting two weeks ago and according to Gonzalez, each requires surgery to remove bullet fragments in the skin and bone. Underwood was shot in the leg and his wound is infected due to lack of medical treatment at the prison, as he has told his attorney. Grant has a wound in the hand that needs similar treatment. Their medical information was placed before the court as part of the bail application.

Justice Sylvester granted bail of $5,000 each plus a surety of the same amount with conditions. Neither is to leave the jurisdiction without a judge’s permission; each must report to the Racoon Street Police Station twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays starting July 5 and they are to avoid further arrests while out on bail. Their next court date is July 31 and they are bound to appear in court on that date and all others so ordered.

Grant and Underwood had pleaded not guilty when first charged in Magistrate’s Court eight days ago on June 20 to be members of the Southside Gangsters, a criminal gang engaged in committing various serious offenses. They were remanded pending an application to the High Court as provided for in the Crime Control and Criminal Justice Act.

Grant is separately accused of and charged with 14 counts of theft, 14 counts of obtaining property by deception, and 12 counts of obtaining money transfer by deception for alleged theft of more than 121 thousand dollars concerning land transactions. She returns to court on these charges on July 19.

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