Christopher Thomas, STAR Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Laughter broke out in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, after a St James man, who was arrested on a robbery charge, admitted to giving himself a second name.

Anthony Jarrett, of a Farm Heights address, who is before the court on a charge of robbery with aggravation, eventually had his case set for mention on April 16.

Allegations are that, sometime in May last year, Jarrett held up the complainant with a knife at the Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay, and robbed him of $35,000.

When Jarrett's matter was called up for mention on Tuesday, Resident Magistrate Sheron Barnes expressed confusion over why the name 'Melody Morgan' was listed in the same place on the court sheet.

"Where did the name Melody Morgan come from?" RM Barnes asked.

"Is me give myself that name," Jarrett replied.

"Oh, you gave yourself that name, Sasha Fierce," said RM Barnes, referencing international entertainer Beyonce's stage alter ego and drawing laughter from the courtroom.

The court was also told that, since his arrest, Jarrett has been in police custody for the past 10 months, despite having been offered bail.

bail

"Why didn't you take up your bail?" RM Barnes asked Jarrett.

"I had called my father to come and bail me, but he never came. Somebody was supposed to bail me, and they went to the court's office, but they couldn't find anything for me there," explained Jarrett.

"When you're giving people information to bail you, you should give them your two names. You're an anomaly, not like anybody else, because you have two names and everybody else has one name," the magistrate quipped in response.

In the meantime, the complainant was not present when his name was called, and the case was consequently set for mention on April 16 when he is expected to be present.

"I'm going to set the matter for April 16 ... the clerk will have to decide what happens to the case on that day," said RM Barnes, before remanding Jarrett back into custody.