Roger Wallis, the 63 year-old British National who police charged for allegedly attempting to kidnap and 8 year-old boy, has been refused Supreme Court bail for a second time. Tonight, he's at the Belize Central Prison, awaiting his trial for the crimes he is charged with.
As viewers are aware, he's facing 2 counts of attempted kidnapping, and in October 2018 he applied for Supreme Court Bail in front of Justice Adolph Lucas. Due to him being deemed a deemed a flight risk, the judge was not willing to grant him bail then. However, the judge did impose very strict timelines on police and the DPP's Office, that they were expected to follow, or else, Wallis would be allowed to re-apply for bail. They needed to be prepared to proceed with his preliminary inquiry yesterday, and the court also gave an order that he must be indicted by April 3rd of next year, so that his trial could be expedited.
Well, when the DPP's office did not show up ready to proceed with the court-ordered preliminary inquiry, Wallis' attorney, Hurl Hamilton re-applied for Supreme Court bail before Justice Marilyn Williams. Again, he placed on record that although Wallis is a British National, he has been living in Belize for about 3 years, and that he has business and property ties to Belize. He is the owner of 2 acres of land here, and he's also co-owner of a business, Area 52 Entertainment.
Again, the DPP's office, represented this time by Crown Counsel Riis Cattous, objected to Wallis being given Supreme Court bail. The crown counsel re-iterated the state's concern that if he is released, there is the possibility that he could flee the country, rather than face a full trial for these offenses, which carry serious penalties. Cattouse also added that Wallis may also attempt to interfere with witnesses if he is released.
After considering the submissions from the 2 sides, Justice Williams decided that she will not grant Wallis bail. He was remanded into custody until February 27th, 2019.
Viewers will remember that Wallis is charged for an incident which allegedly occurred on September 24th, during the midday break from school for his alleged victim.
3 children: 2 sisters and a brother, were heading home from school, and while they were walking on a street in Belmopan, a Caucasian man in a white van pulled up beside them. This man, who was identified as Wallis, allegedly offered them a ride. They refused, and that's when Wallis allegedly made a U-turn, came back, and grabbed the 8 year-old by his hand. He was reportedly attempting to force the child into the vehicle, but his sisters intervened, and fought him off. He allegedly shoved them to the ground, and then drove off.
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