FOUR fishermen appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry yesterday, charged with stealing 12 tons of scrap iron from B.K. International.

Stephan Allicock, 29, of Lot 32 Independence Boulevard, Alexi Gomes, 20, of Lot 6 Riverview, Richard Singh, 21, of Lot 5 Riverview and Zahir Husassin, 25, of Lot 1 ‘B’ Riverview, all of Ruimveldt, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the joint simple larceny charge.
Particulars of the offence stated that, on March 6, they stole the scrap metal, valued $250,000.
Police Corporal Seon Blackman, prosecuting, said the defendants were in a fishing boat when a B.K. International security guard saw them removing the booty and made a report.
The prosecutor objected to bail, stating that the defendants are flight risks and the police are still investigating the theft.
But attorney-at-law Mr. Paul Fung-a-Fat, for Allicock and Gomes, requested they be granted reasonable surety, arguing that they were fishing in a 16 feet boat and it is impossible that they lifted 29,000 pounds of scrap metal into the vessel.
The magistrate overruled the prosecutor’s objection and set surety for the defendants at $150,000 each and scheduled the case to be called, again, on April 12.