Two men accused of setting fire to a house with a couple and their eight children inside appeared in the Couva Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Shakeel Braithwaite, 28, a construction worker, was denied bail while Shaun Braithwaithe, 32, a contractor, both of Calcutta #3, Mc Bean, Couva, was granted $150,000 bail on two charges of arson, with a cash alternative of $8,500.
The charges stemmed from an incident on March 2.
Jackim Radix and his wife Indira Garcia and their eight children managed to escape before the house was completely gutted.
The two men who are not related appeared before Magistrate Cheron Raphael charged with two offences of maliciously setting fire to the house at Calcutta #3.
Shakeel Braithwaite was also charged with shooting at Radix, possession of ammunition and possession of a firearm.
Additionally, he was charged with an armed robbery which occurred on August 21, 2018, at Rash Rok Bar in Couva where several bottles of alcohol, $6,300 and a $100,000 vehicle were stolen.
Shakeel Braithwaite’s attorney Natasha Mongroo said her client was engaged and was expecting his first child. She said the arson charges arose out of an ongoing dispute. Mongroo said her client had one pending matter in the Chaguanas Magistrates Court for possession of a firearm and had been in custody for 11 days.
Prosecutor Sgt Lincoln Bonnett objected to bail for Shakeel Braithwaite because he allegedly committed these offences while on bail for a similar offence. The magistrate upheld the objection and remanded him into custody. Bonnett did not object to bail being granted to Shaun Braithwaithe since he had no previous convictions or pending matters. The matter was adjourned to April 9.