Herbert denies promising job protection in cannabis trial

F ormer Goddard Enterprises chairman Charles Herbert denied promising accused Walter Prescod that he could keep his job if he accepted responsibility for packages found aboard a yacht. Prescod, of Emerald Park East, St Philip, has denied possessing 121. 4 kilogrammes of cannabis within Barbados’ territorial waters, importing it and having a traffickable quantity of the illegal substance on July 23, 2018. Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale SC and acting Senior State Counsel Paul Prescod are representing the State, while defence attorneys Sade Harris and Elan Greenidge represent Prescod. Testifying in the No. 4 Supreme Court before Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell and a nine-member jury, Herbert said several people, including himself, captain Christopher Rogers and the accused, travelled from Barbados to Grenada aboard the yacht Ecstasy , which was headed for maintenance.

They stopped at a few islands along the way. He said that, on arrival in Grenada, the boat was hauled out and he immediately returned to Barbados. Prescod remained, having been employed to stay with the vessel during maintenance. Herbert could not recall when Rogers had left. When maintenance was completed, and it was time for the boat to return, Herbert said he travelled to Grenada on July 19. He said: “I would not normally make that trip. Chris would often hire a captain to bring the boat back to Barbados, or he would have other people that he would hire because the trip back is not pleasant. In this case, he could not get the people, and he asked if I would come and assist him. ” He said he spent that night aboard the boat. The next morning, after a short delay, he, Rogers, and Prescod sailed to Carriacou and Bequia, spent a night aboard the ship at each stop, then headed to Barbados,…