Court of Appeal orders retrial for Soca star Machel Montano

PORT OF SPAIN – Prominent entertainers Machel Montano and Kernel Roberts were granted TT$50 000 bail each after the Court of Appeal Friday ordered a retrial in their case dating back to 2007.

The Court of Appeal allowed the appeal by Soca star Montano and Roberts, the son of the late calypsonian, Lord Kitchener, against their convictions and sentence stemming from a fracas outside a nightclub in the capital in 2007.

Both men had been convicted and fined in 2013 for assaulting a group of people outside the nightclub.

In December 2012, Magistrate Maureen Baboolal-Gafoor found Montano guilty of assaulting Gerard Bowrin, Janelle Lee Chee, Brandis Browne and Russell Pollonais. Roberts was found guilty of assaulting Browne and Pollonais.

Montano was ordered to pay compensation totalling TT$13 500 and fines totalling TT$13 700, while Roberts was ordered to pay compensation totalling TT$11 000 and fines totalling TT$13 000.

When the matter came up for hearing on Friday, Roberts was present and not Montano whose lawyer said his client could not get a flight to return home on time. (CMC)