Former Manchester JP gets bail in forged documents case

Marvin Dean, a decommissioned justice of the peace, and businessman Dudley Powell have been granted bail in the Manchester Parish Court after being charged in a case involving allegedly forged documents linked to driver's licence applications.

Dean, 46, of Cross Keys and Newport in Manchester, was offered bail of $600,000. Powell, 64, of Glenospalding on the Clarendon-Manchester border, was granted bail of $400,000. They appeared before Judge Monique Harrison on Wednesday and must report to the Newport and Spalding police stations, respectively, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Both men were ordered to hand over travel documents, and stop orders were placed at all ports.

Police say the men were held during an operation at the Island Traffic Authority's Mandeville Service Hub on May 18 and charged last Thursday and Friday. They are accused of presenting themselves as medical doctors and signing driver's licence application forms. Dean faces 12 charges, including impersonating a doctor, uttering forged documents, forgery, attempted bribery and possession of a forged stamp. Powell faces four charges, including cheating the public revenue, conspiracy and misconduct in a public office. They are due back in court on July 1.

In another court matter, Justice Sonia Bertram-Linton is expected to rule Friday on whether an overseas witness statement can be used in the murder trial of six policemen in the Home Circuit Court. The officers are being tried over the January 12, 2013 shooting deaths of Matthew Lee, Ucliffe Dyer and Mark Allen on Aadia Drive in St. Andrew.

Meanwhile, businessman Kent Brown is seeking nearly $9 million from the Firearm Licensing Authority, claiming delayed renewal certificates hurt his firearms businesses. The FLA, through CEO Shane Darling, denies liability and says Brown must prove his case in court.