OCHO RIOS, St Ann – The 17-year-old college student charged with the murder of his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend was remanded in custody when he appeared in the St Ann’s Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court Tuesday.

Despite a lengthy bail application by the youth’s attorney, Oswest Senior Smith, the presiding magistrate Carol Edwards refused to offer bail. The magistrate said there were gaps in the prosecution’s case that needed to be addressed before bail could be considered.

Nisa Grant, 16, a fourth form student of the York Castle High School in Brown’s Town, was allegedly killed by her ex-boyfriend on February 5 after she told him the relationship was over.

A post-mortem report revealed that the girl sustained 13 injuries to different parts of her body.

The boy, who had earlier told the police that he and the girl were attacked while walking through a ‘shortcut’, allegedly confessed to the killing during intensive interrogation by the police.

The boy’s lawyer yesterday raised questions about the confession allegedly given by his client. He said the reported confession was taken from a boy he described as vulnerable and impressionable.

Senior Smith argued further that the prosecution was faced with overwhelming challenges, adding that there were enormous shortcomings in the investigations.

However, the magistrate was not persuaded. She instructed the investigator to carry out further investigation and have all outstanding statements available to the court by March 20, when the case will again be mentioned.

An investigator also told the court yesterday that the police were concerned about the safety of the boy should he be offered bail. The policeman said residents of both the communities in which Grant lived and where the accused man is from were still angry over the manner in which the girl met her death.

The police said on the day of the killing the accused asked the girl to meet him at his home. He, however, reportedly met her on the way and took her into an abandoned building where he allegedly stabbed her several times before slashing her throat.

The police said they later found the boy’s bloodstained clothes hidden near a cemetery.