After months on remand, a 44-year-old construction worker accused of misappropriating funds intended for home renovation was granted $125,000 bail on Wednesday when he appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Sheldon Roach, who had been on remand since April, was charged with misappropriation after allegedly failing to complete construction work for which he had been paid. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The court heard that between April and September 2024, Roach was entrusted by Samantha Hermonstine with $500,000 to purchase five doors, plywood, and materials to build kitchen cupboards. However, it is alleged that he used the funds for his benefit instead.
The prosecution alleged that Roach had been avoiding both law enforcement and the virtual complainant, ignoring multiple attempts made by Hermonstine to reach him.
In court, Hermonstine told the magistrate that she and Roach were once friends and that she had given him the money in instalments. However, when no work materialised, she reported the matter to the police.
In response, Roach insisted that he had spent the money on materials and had forwarded photographic evidence to Hermonstine throughout the process. He claimed the funds had been passed on to a contractor who has since become unreachable.
Roach, visibly emotional in the courtroom, begged the magistrate for bail, stating that he had been incarcerated since April and felt that the case had not been progressing efficiently.
Magistrate Azore granted bail in the sum of $125,000. The matter was adjourned until July 23.
