Man accused of biting baby gets bail (with CNC3 video)

Jermour Noel, the cable television technician charged with biting a child last month, yesterday was granted $80,000 bail after the court approved his mother Cheryl as the surety. 

Ordered to move into his mother’s house at School Street, Carenage, effective yesterday, Noel, 24, of Poinsettia Drive, Coconut Drive, Morvant, also was ordered to report to the Carenage Police Station twice weekly, attend the Port-of-Spain General Hospital medical outpatient clinic, stay away from the home of Tineka Henry and have absolutely no access to Henry and her baby, even through BBM, Whats App, Skype, e-mail or phone contact.

Noel was arrested on December 9, 2012 and charged by Cpl Roopnarine Sankar of the Besson Street Police Station. Three days later, Noel was remanded to the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital, where he underwent six weeks of medical treatment. When he appeared for a fourth time before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar in the Port-of-Spain Eighth Court yesterday, Noel’s attorney Vitti Furlonge-Kelly appealed for reasonable bail as he assured the court Noel was not a flight risk and was intent on clearing his name.

The charge against Noel, the father of three, is that on December 9, 2012, at Smith Place, Calgary Hill, Port-of-Spain, he caused grievous bodily harm to a child unnamed, the daughter of Tineka Henry, with intent to do grievous bodily harm. During his initial appearance on December 12, 2012, Noel was not called upon to enter a plea. At that time, he was remanded to St Ann’s.

Baby biter gets bail

On January 10, senior doctors requested two more weeks to complete tests before compiling a report to be submitted to the court. Confirming receipt of the report yesterday but unwilling to reveal what it contained, Ayers-Caesar ordered Noel to move in with his mother as part of his bail condition. The Chief Magistrate said on the basis of the report, Noel should “move somewhere to live with someone who can monitor him in the event that something happens.”

Clad in a navy-blue pin-striped shirt and black pants, Noel appeared calm and relaxed as he quietly conferred with his attorney. Furlonge-Kelly said Noel had received medication and was to report to the hospital, as he told the court, “it is important he gets treatment.” Adjourning the matter to February 20, Ayers-Caesar ordered a copy of the medical report should be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions.