Recently recaptured local Kurt Rabsatt has been remanded for six days and is claiming that he never escaped police custody, instead he alleges that a police officer released him.
Rabsatt made those claims during his first court appearance today Friday January 21 before Magistrate Jack Husbands.
The East End resident has been charged for burglary and escaping lawful custody.
The allegations
According to the allegations which were presented by the prosecution, Rabsatt after being detained in a holding cell within the East End Police Station on December 18, 2021, escaped police custody.
The report claims that the officer who was responsible for detaining Rabsatt made chase following his escape and shouted for the accused to stop. However, Rabsatt did not comply and he eventually escaped custody.
His second charge of burglary as presented by the prosecution, occurred while the accused was on the run on January 16, 2022.
It is alleged that Rabsatt entered room 41 of Lambert Beach Resort with intent to steal.
He was later recaptured by local law enforcement officers on January 17 2022.
Objection to bail
The prosecution objected to bail on two main grounds. The first, was that Rabsatt was likely to reoffend if released on bail. The second, was that due to the nature of his escape of lawful custody charge, it was argued that he may not show up at future court appearances and could likely flee the territory.
The prosecution also informed the court that there will be four additional charges brought against Rabsatt in the near future.
Fear for life among claims for bail
When given the opportunity to justify why he should receive bail, the East End resident brought forward many points to his argument.
The first was that he has not been in trouble with the law since being released from prison in 2018. He also argued that there was no substantial evidence against him, stating that the police are unsure whether he had any involvement with the alleged burglary crime.
His second argument was allegations that he was ill-treated and beaten while in police custody even though did not resist arrest. He pointed to his wrists to show evidence of bruising and swelling and to a scar on his forehead.
Rabsatt’s third point, which was the most serious allegation, is that he feared for his life if he was remanded to prison since he has enemies presently inside Her Majesty’s Prison who want him dead.
He said those enemies stem from his previous time in prison and that ever since his release, they have been sending him death threats from prison. To emphasize how dangerous these alleged enemies are, Rabsatt claimed that they were involved in a recent killing in prison.
Bail denied
Magistrate Husbands after listening to the many allegations of Rabsatt said he understood the concerns raised, but could not grant bail at this time due to his charge of escaping lawful custody.
The magistrate however assured Rabsatt that he would see to it that he is placed in a safe environment in prison.
Rabsatt was remanded until Thursday January 27 where he will have the opportunity to attain a lawyer to represent him in his legal case.