Trincity man pretends to be kidnap victim

Trincity resident Ricardo Daniel, who pretended to be kidnapped on July 24, in an attempt to extort money from his father, yesterday pleaded guilty to filing a false police report. Daniel’s co-accused Dennis Stapleton, 32, of Laventille, who is charged with the wasteful employment of police time, pleaded not guilty. The two appeared before Magistrate Melvin Daniel in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Court.

Daniel, whose father owns the Professional’s Auto-Body Garage, Pashley Street, Laventille, was allegedly kidnapped on July 24. Hours after his kidnapping, Daniel’s Honda Civic car was found abandoned in Barataria and this was followed by a call to Daniel's father for a $500,000 ransom. Daniel was found wandering in Lopinot, two days after his alleged kidnapping.

The men were represented by attorneys Fitzgerald Hinds and Richard Clarke-Wills yesterday and were charged by PC Darnell Melville of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (AKU). Stapleton pleaded not guilty to the charge that on July 24 at the AKU, St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain, he knowingly caused the wasteful employment of police time by causing Daniel’s father James to file a false report that his son had been kidnapped.

Daniel pleaded guilty to the charge that on July 28, at the AKU, he made a false police report, claiming he had been kidnapped. The two men were brought to court on Thursday, and had their bail of $20,000 each endorsed by a Clerk of the Peace. The magistrate was informed yesterday that while Daniel had no pending matters, Stapleton had been released from prison in February and had one matter pending.

Declining the prosecutor’s request to revoke Stapleton’s bail, the magistrate later adjourned the matter to August 6 and transferred it to the Third Court.