A former member of the now defunct group, Police Support Association, who collected $579,000 from five police officers to secure firearms for them but failed to deliver, was remanded when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court last week.

The firearms instructor, Calvin McKenzie, also collected $250,000 from one of the complainants to get building materials, which he also allegedly failed to deliver.

The court heard that McKenzie told the complainants that he was affiliated with the Firearms Licensing Authority and could get firearms for them on concession and collected money varying from $250,000 to $75,000 between February 2012 and December 2013.

When McKenzie appeared in court he pleaded guilty to five counts of obtaining money by false pretence and one count of fraudulent conversion, but told the court he did not benefit from the money.

“Your Honour, I take full responsibility because I took their money, but I did not use the money for my personal use,” he said.

McKenzie then told Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey that he would like to make restitution and requested time to do so.

“I am willing, capable and able of paying all of the aggrieved people in full, but I want to do it in your presence,” he said to Pusey.

McKenzie then asked the magistrate to consider granting him bail to facilitate the repayment of the sums, but his request was denied after the investigating officer told the court that the police could not find McKenzie for two years.

But McKenzie, in his defence, said he was not aware that the police had been looking for him as several of them had seen him. Furthermore, he said several of them had also threatened him.

The magistrate, however, told McKenzie that she could not grant him bail since the police had a difficult time finding him. However, she told him she would give him time to make restitution.

McKenzie, when asked how long he needed, said 10 days. He was then instructed by the magistrate to inform his “well-wishers” that they should bring the total sum of $829,000 to court on October 5, before being remanded.