By Ashford Peters
A member of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force is a suspect in an attempted murder and firearm possession probe, prosecutor inspector Renrick Cato told the Serious Offences Court on Tuesday.
Cato made the information public as he objected to bail for Police Constable Phillip Arrindell, who has been charged with theft.
Arrindell was taken before the Serious Offences Court on Tuesday, charged that between March 15 and 20, 2026, somewhere between Kingstown and Calliaqua, he stole a Suzuki key, the property of Jahriel Griffin, of Villa.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Cato objected to bail, saying Arrindell was “a person of interest in investigations of attempted murder and firearm possession”. He asked Chief Magistrate Colin John to remand the officer in custody for one week while the investigations were being completed, fearing Arrindell would interfere with the investigations if granted bail.
Arrindell’s lawyer, Grant Connell, objected to the prosecutor’s application, describing it as “very unfair”.
Connell said the prosecution was on a “fishing expedition”, adding that his client had been in custody since Monday.
He said that when he went to the police station to look for Arrindell, he was told he was not there.
The lawyer said this information put a spoke in the wheel as far as trusting the police was concerned, because on leaving the police station, he met an old woman who told him that Arrindell was indeed at the station.
Connell said the police appear to be applying the French law that says one is guilty and has to prove one’s innocence, quite apart from this jurisdiction, where one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Connell quoted what appeared to be a letter to Arrindell and showed it to the prosecutor.
“You are hereby suspended from duty on no-pay leave,” Connell quoted.
Cato said he had no knowledge of the defendant having been suspended without pay.
“I think this is draconian and a personal vendetta,” Connell said.
Connell has signalled to the court his intention to roast the prosecution witnesses when they are on the witness stands.
“We will do the post mortem during trial, not after,” Connell said.
Based on the prosecutor’s submission that Arrindell might interfere with the investigation, the chief magistrate denied bail and set the next hearing for Tuesday, April 7.