Policeman charged in cooking oil theft granted $750,000 bail

Detective Corporal Maurice Whittingham, who is charged in connection with the multimillion-dollar robbery of a delivery truck carrying cooking oil, was today granted $750,000 bail.

The bail application was made by attorney-at-law Lindel Wellesley before Parish Judge Nicole Kellier in the St Catherine Parish Court.

As part of his bail, Whittingham, who was attached to the National Intelligence Bureau, was ordered to report to the Olympic Gardens Police Station on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and to surrender his travel document. 

A curfew order was also imposed and the policeman was also ordered not to interfere with witnesses in the case.

He is to return to court on March 10.

Allegations are that on Saturday, December 17, 2022, Whittingham and his co-accused Michael Daley, who was reportedly dressed in police paraphernalia, stopped a delivery truck along the Spanish Town Bypass in St Catherine.

The truck, which is owned by Seprod Limited, was laden with cooking oil valued at more than $3 million.

It is alleged that Whittingham approached the driver of the truck and asked about his data entry record and took him to a Honda motor car.

The truck, along with the sidemen, was then driven to an unknown location.

The truck was later located in the community of Thetford, which is located near Old Harbour.

A subsequent report was made and an investigation was launched, which resulted in the arrests of Whittingham and Daley.

Further investigation led to them being charged with robbery with aggravation and kidnapping.

- Rasbert Turner 

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