American teen faces charges for disturbing JetBlue flight in Barbados
July 11, 2023 – 16-year-old American will face charges in a magistrate court in Barbados on Thursday following his plea of not guilty to behaving in a manner that interfered with the duties of a crew member.
The incident took place last Wednesday when the teenager allegedly uttered the words, “bomb the plane,” while aboard a JetBlue flight.
Bail granted
Shiloh Cecil Bellot was granted bail in the amount of BDS$10,000 after appearing before Magistrate Douglas Frederick at the District ‘B’ Magistrates’ Court.
Although the prosecution did not object to granting bail, considering the teenager’s ties to Barbados, they requested that Bellot surrender his passport and travel documents to the court.
Surrendering passport and reporting conditions
Additionally, the prosecution asked for him to report to a police station at least twice a week and abide by a daily curfew from 6 pm to 6 am. They also requested that he refrain from posting anything related to the matter on social media.
Bellot’s legal team, led by King Counsel Michael Lashley, argued against the stringent conditions proposed by the prosecution.
Lashley emphasized that Bellot was not known to any court, his passport was already in police possession, and one day of reporting coupled with the curfew should be sufficient.
Lashley further highlighted that Bellot had traveled to Barbados with a church group and was a choirboy who performed there.
After hearing the arguments, the magistrate inquired about any potential mental health issues. Bellot’s parents, who were present in court, responded that there were none.
Last week, the Chief Executive Officer of Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA), Hadley Bourne, and the Commissioner of Police, Richard Boyce, remained tight-lipped about the incident that led to the grounding of JetBlue flight B662.
Bourne referred to an “incident of a security-sensitive nature on one of our departing aircraft” and stated that the airport immediately implemented its security protocols.
Commissioner Boyce confirmed that the police received a report of a security breach at the airport and responded accordingly with trained personnel from his department.
