Rodney Beckles, son of Hilary Beckles, principal of the University of the West Indies' (UWI) Cave Hill campus, was denied bail when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday to answer to a murder charge.

Beckles first appeared before RM Judith Pusey on Monday after being charged with the murder of 28-year-old Khalil Campbell. It is alleged that, on January 4, about 3:30 p.m., the two had a disagreement about ganja.

Beckles is accused of denying Campbell the opportunity to smoke his 'chillum' pipe, claiming Campbell was not mentally capable of "handling the weed". An altercation developed, during which Campbell was stabbed several times. Beckles was reportedly held the following day at the UWI.

Potential flight risk

Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephane Haisley, told the court yesterday that the Crown was objecting to bail.

She said Beckles' dual citizenship made him a potential flight risk and implored RM Pusey to wait on the post-mortem report so she could get a better idea of just how gruesome the attack was.

She revealed that Campbell received "numerous injuries" and was stabbed in the neck, chest and breast. She said "the gruesomeness of the crime suggests the type of person the accused is" and added that "the accused is a danger to society".

But Beckles' lawyer Patrick Atkinson challenged this description of his client, telling the court that he was "not running amuck and attacking society."

He also denied that his client was a flight risk. He said Beckles had significant ties to Jamaica and would be willing to stay with an aunt if granted bail.

The court was also told that Hilary Beckles has taken three months' leave from his job and was determined to get his son evaluated and enrolled in a drug programme.

Atkinson explained that the attack was not random and unwarranted and suggested that Campbell was suffering from a mental disorder. He said both men got involved in a tussle after Campbell started arguing and behaving erratically and added that, when Beckles attempted to kick him, he held on to his foot.

He suggested that Campbell possessed incredible strength because of his alleged mental disorder and implied that Beckles was attempting to free himself from Campbell's grip.

RM Pusey decided to wait until the results of the post-mortem were available and set the matter for January 19.