Jamar Munnings, 27 of Wulff Road was charged with several crimes including raping a 21-year-old female from Gainesville, Florida.
Munnings was not required to enter a plea and was remanded to Her Majesty Prison until May 1.
He was also charged with forcibly detaining the 21 year old and robbing her out of $30.00 with the use of a knife.
Munnings also faced charges for possession of an unlicensed black colt 25mm firearm and two separate counts on possession of 12 live rounds of 25mm ammunition and four rounds of 9mm ammunition.
For the possession charges, the accused pleaded not guilty and a court date was set for April 4.
Magistrate Virgill told the accused that he has the right to apply for bail on the possession charges and the charge of arm robbery.
It is believed that on March 5, Munnings raped the college student after she accepted a ride from him. The victim was unable to tell exactly where the assault took place because the victim is unfamiliar with the island.
It is believed that Munnings may have been hacking on the night the incident occurred.
In a similar matter 20-year-old Byron Collie faced charges of forcible detention, indecent assault and causing harm to a 20-year-old female college student from Ohio.
It is believe that Collie on March 16 forced, take away and detained a 20-year-old female against her will with the intent to have sexual intercourse.
Collie a resident of Grosham Close off Turtle Drive was granted $15,000 bail. He was also ordered to visit the Carmichael Road police station on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7am.
He was warned by the magistrate not to have any contact with the witnesses or his bail would be revoked. If he failed to visit the police station on any day his bail would also be revoked.
Collie is schedule to return to court on April1.
At first Magistrate Virgill was reluctant in granting Collie bail but his attorney Desmond Bannister pleaded to have him released on bail because this was his client’s first offence.
Mr. Bannister said his client is employed at the Radisson Hotel as a busboy and runs the risk of termination if he was remanded to prison.
He also requested a reasonable amount for the bail because his mother is employed at one of the Baptist churches and would not be able to afford a high bail amount.
After careful consideration, Magistrate Virgill told Mr. Bannister that his client’s crime is no misdemeanor and will not be treated in that manor however she still granted the 20-year-old bail.
Prosecutor for both cases Inspector Ercell Dorsette requested a voluntary bill of indictment for the men so that the proceedings would be fast tracked to the Supreme Court.
These recent crime has sparked some attention from the United States who has issued a warning to Spring Breakers concerning crime in The Bahamas. The United Kingdom has also recently issued a similar travel advisory.
According to police, there have been 14 allegations of rape in the country so far for the year.
By: Bianca Symonette, The Bahama Journal
