THREE men accused of robbing two tourists on the waterfront in downtown Kingston are to reappear in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on August 24.

The three — Anthony Chin, Kadeem Williams and Okang Douglas — were remanded when they appeared before the court on Wednesday, each to answer to a charge of robbery with aggravation.

The court heard that on July 17, both complainants were on the waterfront fishing when one of the accused men, who was in the company of the others, robbed the male complainant of his cellular phone and pushed him into the sea. They then robbed the female complainant of her cellular phone and fled.

The male complainant came out of the water and gave chase. The alleged robbers were subsequently accosted by police officers, who saw the complainant chasing them and joined the chase.

The cellular phones were recovered.

On Wednesday, during an unsuccessful bail application, Douglas’s attorney Sasha-Gay Shaw told the court that her client had no previous conviction and she was unable to see why the police were opposing bail for him.

However, the prosecutor told the court that while the police were not opposed to bail for Williams and Chin, they wanted to keep Douglas in custody.

Meanwhile, Senior Parish Judge Judith Pusey told the court that she had to listen to “the man who is on the ground”, and reminded that the court the three accused were charged under the anti-gang legislation.

“This is the summer time when the weather is fine. They shouldn’t have cellular phone on their mind,” Judge Pusey said.

“My view is that the people of Kingston should be able to walk with their cellular phone on their forehead without anybody troubling them,” the judge added.

“When a man hold up two people and rob them and come before me; what you think?” Pusey then asked Shaw.

“We have to be firm,” Pusey said prior to setting an August 24 trial date for the men.