Log In

Reset Password

Suspect left Island on girlfriend's airline pass, jury hears

Carlena Caines' boyfriend skipped the Island after allegedly beating a man unconscious, on an airline pass she issued him, Supreme Court heard.

A jury was told the mother-of-two abused her position with US Airways, and printed the ticket that enabled Jermaine Simmons' escape.

Her initials and employee identification were found on the itinerary which showed Simmons flying from Bermuda to Charlotte, North Carolina, and on to Huntsville, Alabama.

Frederick Anthony Swann, 27, now stands accused of causing grievous bodily harm to Damon Robinson on August 15, 2009.

Caines, 29, is charged with being an accessory to the fact after a felony, and helping Simmons, 27, flee the scene and the Island.

They deny the charges.

The prosecution alleges the 32-year-old was kicked repeatedly by Simmons and Swann as he walked down the stairs of Champions Sports Club around 5 a.m. He was beaten unconscious outside the club.

He suffered a broken jaw in two places, a collapsed left lung, and bleeding and swelling to his brain.

The court heard yesterday from Cleeve Trott, a customer services supervisor at US Airways.

As Caines' registered guest, Simmons could fly whenever he wanted. He paid $55.25 for the ticket.

"The pass [is] for 12 months but [they] can stay on as long as they want," Mr. Trott explained. "Unlimited means he can travel whenever he wants, anytime he wants."

The airline supervisor could not recall what time Caines came to work that day but remembered her being there and said Simmons was at L.F. Wade International Airport as well.

Evidence was also given by Detective Sergeant Kevin Christopher.

He said he went to Champions with another officer the day after the incident, and later arrested Caines.

"I cautioned her and she replied: 'For what? I don't know if they done anything. When I came outside, I saw a bike and a guy on the ground. I thought it was an accident'."

Caines' lawyer Llewellyn Peniston suggested Caines may not have known Det. Sgt. Christopher and his partner were Police officers as they were casually dressed.

Champions' president Delvin Bean described Caines as a "great employee". He told the court she had worked for him for three to four years.

He said she told him that a patron had been drunk on August 15 and left, or was thrown out of, the bar.

During cross-examination, Mr. Peniston asked if employees were ever given instructions on what to do if something happened in the bar.

Mr. Bean said they were to call him immediately.

Under further questioning he said if anything was happening outside the club, Caines would not have been able to see it from the bar.

The trial continues.