Marines Charged With Beating

February 13, 2007
Marines Charged With Beating
By Rogan M. Smith

Seven Defence Force marines allegedly involved in a bust-up in Inagua last year were charged in a Magistrate’s Court Monday with causing grievous harm.

It is alleged that they beat up Inagua resident Dexter Wilson nearly three months ago.

The men, who had New Providence addresses, appeared before Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez.

Charged were Tamiko Johnson, 28, of Golden Gates; Ian Graham, 33, a Golden Isle Road resident; Edward Fritz, 30, of Bacardi Road; Tamiko Gibson, 20, of Golden Gates; Sean Ferguson, 37, of Sandilands Village; Omar Albury, 21, [address given only as Nassau] and David Balfour, 24, of Pastel Gardens were all charged in Court #1 on Bank Lane.

All of the marines pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Five of the seven men were granted bail in the amount of $5,000 and one surety after the prosecution said it did not object to bail.

The remaining two men: Tamiko Gibson and Ian Graham were granted bail in the amount of $7,000 with one surety.

Both men were charged with causing a wound to Dario Bastian, therefore their bail was slightly higher.

Magistrate Gomez asked the men if they preferred for their hearing to take place in the Supreme Court or Magistrate’s Court and all of them chose the latter.

Their hearing was set for February 26 at 10am at Court 11 on Nassau Street.

The scuffle in the southern island last November caused major friction between Defence Force officers and residents on that island.

The fallout resulted in a national outcry and an immediate backlash against the officers.

It is alleged that the men beat up Mr. Wilson after he was talking to a female marine. That apparently angered the marines.

The brawl dealt a major blow to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, which immediately went into damage control.

In the weeks following that scuffle, Defence Force Commodore Clifford Scavella admitted that his force had some bad apples and vowed to weed them out in the coming months.

Many view Monday’s court hearing as a crucial step in ridding the force of those bad apples, although, as indicated, all of the men pleaded not guilty.