Sheldon Dockery, the 35-year-old driver who has been implicated in an overseas farm -work racket, was granted $250,000 bail with one or two sureties when he appeared in the Santa Cruz Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

Dockery, of Lacovia, St Elizabeth, was offered bail by Resident Magistrate Stanley Clarke. He is to report to the Lacovia police station on Mondays and Fridays between 6: 00 a.m. and 9: 00 p.m.

He is charged with obtaining money by false pretence after it was alleged that he used his former employer's name and collected thousands of dollars from several persons over a period of time.

Denied knowing

When he appeared in court previously, he had pleaded not guilty and denied knowing the complainants.

It is alleged that between April and June this year, the accused promised the complainants that he would provide jobs for them overseas through the farm-work programme and collected more than $500,000.

The court was also told that the accused collected travel documents and luggage from the complainants but failed to deliver the jobs promised.

Several complaints were made to the police and on June 21, the accused was held by the police where he was subsequently arrested and charged.