Court refuses second bail application for ‘Slickianna’s murder accused
Published:Thursday | October 5, 2023 | 12:06 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
RUSHAWN PATTERSON, the chief suspect in the October 2022 murder of social media influencer Aneika ‘Slickianna’ Townsend, will have to wait until December 19 to get another chance to apply for bail, following his latest failed attempt in the St James Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Patterson, who appeared in person before presiding High Court Justice Judith Pusey, had his second bail application rejected despite impassioned arguments from his attorney, Dionne Meyler-Barrett.
A previous failed bail application was made for the defendant on March 21.
During the latest bail application on Wednesday, Meyler-Barrett pointed out that Patterson recently secured a no-evidence motion from the Half-Way Tree Criminal Court in relation to an unrelated assault case from 2018. Reports in that case alleged that Patterson had physically attacked a woman after a jealous rage.
“What has changed, milady, is that one of the grounds that the Crown advanced is that he had matters in Kingston. On May 18, 2023, no evidence was offered in the matter and he was discharged on that matter, and it was in the Half-Way Tree Criminal Court,” Meyler-Barrett told Pusey.
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But Pusey elected to reject the bail application after the prosecution cited concerns that Patterson was a likely flight risk and could potentially reoffend if granted bail, while also citing that she had denied bail to him in his other court matter.
“I refused him bail there, another judge refused him bail here, so do you think I am going to grant him bail now?” Pusey asked Meyler-Barrett.
“Not today, milady, but on another day when I renew the bail application,” Meyler-Barrett replied.
Meanwhile, the court was told that while the Communication Forensic and Cyber Crime Division report was ready for disclosure to the defence, the post-mortem report and a scene-of-crime statement were still outstanding from the prosecution’s case-file.
“He should keep himself still now till December 19. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof,” Pusey quipped as she ordered Patterson to be remanded.
Patterson was arrested on November 2 during a high-level police operation after Townsend’s body was found floating in the sea in Reading, St James, on October 21, 2022.
A subsequent post-mortem examination on November 5 determined that Townsend had been strangled, with the death occurring sometime between 11 p.m. on Thursday, October 20 and 9 a.m. on Friday, October 21.
Patterson was then formally charged with her murder on November 11.
According to police reports, Townsend had travelled from Kingston to Montego Bay on October 20 and was later picked up by Patterson, following which they visited a restaurant in Hanover and a guest house in St James. Sometime during the night, an argument developed between the two, following which Townsend was strangled and her body disposed of.
Prior to Patterson’s first failed bail application on March 21, his bail hearing was initially scheduled for December 15, 2022, at which time he was represented by attorney Michelle Thomas.
The hearing was put off to March 9 this year due to several documents being outstanding from the prosecution’s case-file at that time.
When the hearing date came up on March 9, it was rescheduled again to March 21 because Patterson had retained Meyler-Barrett as his new lawyer at that point.