MAY PEN, Clarendon – Jody-Ann Smith, the 19-year-old woman charged jointly with her boyfriend demanding money by menace, following the distribution of ‘extortion letters’ to business operators in the parish, was yesterday granted $100,000 bail with one surety..

As a condition of her bail, the court ordered that Smith be placed under house arrest and should not receive visitors. “(She is) not even to go to church,” said Resident Magistrate Glen Brown.

Smith’s boyfriend, Cecil Newell, 19, was, however, denied bail after the investigating officer told the May Pen Resident Magistrate’s Court that there was another charge pending against the youth.

When asked by Resident Magistrate Brown why they decided to write to the business operators soliciting money, Newell told the court he wanted to join the army but he did not have any money and he did not want to go in broke. He said that his girlfriend wrote the letters for him.

Investigating officer Detective Sgt Heston Nelson told the court that the two teenagers delivered several handwritten letters to business operators in Paisley, on the outskirts of May Pen, demanding that they be paid $15,000 per month.

He said that last Thursday afternoon the police, acting on information, carried out a raid at the home of the teenage boy where they confiscated several items relating to the case.

The two, he said, were later arrested and charged with demanding money by menace and conspiracy to obtain money by menace.

A social inquiry is to be conducted on both accused in time for the next court date on July 7, 2005.

Meanwhile, several business operators yesterday questioned the decision of the court to grant the young woman bail, saying the offence was of a serious nature.