BARBARA GAYLE, Staff Reporter

A cop who is said to have been chased by his colleagues through the narrow streets of Falmouth, Trelawny, earlier this month was offered bail when he appeared in court on Wednesday

The chase had caused a commotion and the policeman, after being held, was charged with breaching the Corruption Prevention Act.

Special Constable Stafford Bailey appeared in the Falmouth Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday to answer to the charge. He had also been charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

When he appeared before Resident Magistrate Sheron Barnes, he was offered bail in the sum of $300,000 with a surety. He is to return to court on December 12.

Bailey, who has been a member of the Island Special Constabulary Force for almost five years, was being chased by senior police officers after he was allegedly seen collecting money from a motorist.

It is alleged that Bailey had arrested the motorist and charged him with issuing forged document as his driver's licence was allegedly a fake. When the matter came before Resident Magistrate Icolyn Reid on November 10, Bailey told the court that the accused man's driver's licence had been lost, and on that basis the clerk of courts withdrew the case against the accused.

The Crown is alleging that shortly after the case was disposed of, Bailey met with the motorist outside the courthouse. It is further alleged that there was a previous arrangement for $20,000 to be paid for the charge to be dropped. The motorist had reported the matter to police officers from the Anti-Corruption Branch in Kingston, and a sting operation was set up

When Bailey was allegedly paid the money, one of the policemen approached him and Bailey ran off. He was eventually cornered and held in a pharmacy a few feet away from the court building, with the marked bills allegedly stuffed in his shoe.

After a week in police lock-up, Bailey was taken to court on Wednesday. The court was told that the "lost driver's licence" was returned to the motorist, but the licence was in a badly damaged state.