Double murder accused Jonathan Lehrer has been denied bail by the Magistrate’s court on his charges of trafficking firearms.
He was arrested and charged on January 15, 2025.
His lawyer Lennox Lawrence had put up a spirited fight seeking bail for his client last week telling the court that his client who was slapped with two murder charges has been granted bail by the High Court on those charges.
Lawyer Lennox Lawrence exiting the courthouse
In handing down his decision, Senior Magistrate Michael Laudat explained that the Magistrate’s power to grant bail was “discretionary and must be taken seriously, trafficking of firearms is a serious offense and carries a heavy penalty if found guilty.”
He quoted Section 7 (1) (d) of the Bail Act which states “any offense under the Firearms Act 2011 punishable by a term of imprisonment for more than 5 years or more the court shall not grant bail to that defendant unless it is satisfied that appropriate circumstances exist to justify the granting of bail.”
The Court he stated MUST look at the risk of “absconding”, the upsurge of violent crimes in the State, the Public Order, and the defendant must satisfy the court on a balance of probability that he will surrender to the custody of the Court.
The Court he stated is not satisfied that the defendant has satisfied Section 4 (3) of the Bail Act in the Public’s interest. “It was not safe to release him in the Public’s interest and hence bail was denied.”
He further stated that the public demands that the defendant be given a speedy trial hence April 22, 24, and 25, 2025 has been set for his trial and it must be completed by May 30, 2025. He also set March 31, 2025, as the final date for disclosures to be made to him.
The accused he stated is free to reapply to the court for bail if his circumstances are changed or is free to apply to the High Court for bail.
The accused is being led away back to prison
