Despite strong objections from prosecutors that a policeman and a taxi driver, who are accused of abducting a woman last September, should be remanded, defence lawyer Peter Champagnie was able to convince the judge that they deserved to be released on bail.

They are Constable Andrew Campbell and taxi driver Errol Harris of Kingston addresses. Campbell was on interdiction at the time of the incident.

Supreme Court judge Bryan Sykes granted them bail on Wednesday in the sum of $350,000 each with sureties. They have been placed under curfew and are to report to the police station on a daily basis.

Champagnie said they were in custody for eight months without the certainty of a trial date. He said there was no likelihood of them interfering with the investigations or the witnesses.

A trial date has been set for June 13 in the Gun Court.

attempted murder

The men are facing charges of abduction, rape, robbery with aggravation, shooting with intent, illegal possession of firearm and ammunition and attempted murder.

It is being alleged that about 10:45 p.m. on September 29 last year, the 27-year-old woman was coming from a party when she stopped at the traffic lights at West Kings House and Waterloo roads, St Andrew. The light was on red and two men came from the side of the road, pointed guns at her and ordered her to come out of the motor car.

The woman came out and one of the men told her to run, but the other man ordered her at gunpoint to go back into the vehicle. One of the men drove the motor car to a lane off Omara Road, Kingston 13, where several men raped her. She was also robbed of $35,000 and her cellular phone.

About midday the following day, the woman was driven to an area off Lyndhurst Crescent in Kingston where she was taken from the motor car, placed against a wall and shot in the face. She pretended to be dead and was later rescued by a motorist who took her to the police station. The police took her to the hospital.

Anna Lee Prendergast is charged with larceny of the cellphone and appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

Following intensive investigations by the police, the two men were subsequently arrested and charged.