Steve McCalla, the man accused of robbing two Life of Jamaica (LOJ) sales agents, was appointed legal representation against his will last Friday, after the court saw that he was making a hash of representing himself.

Justice Kay Beckford appointed attorneys Norma Linton, QC and C J Mitchell after the lawyers volunteered in the Home Circuit to assist McCalla, who along with two teenaged girls, is facing the robbery charge.

Three months ago McCalla booted his legal aid attorney and opted to represent himself. But so far, he has done a poor job of representing himself.

After the appointments, Justice Beckford set the matter for mention on February 9, by which time the attorneys are to be served with McCalla's file. A trial date is also expected.

McCalla is charged along with Crystal Lewis and Tashana Broomfield, both 18, for the March 2006 robbery of two female agents. McCalla's co-accused, one of whom is pregnant, are on bail.

The three are facing robbery with aggravation and conspiracy charges, for allegedly luring the agents to an apartment at Seymour Avenue, Kingston 5, under the pretence that McCalla would be purchasing life insurance for his daughter, a student of the University of the West Indies.

It was alleged that when the agents arrived at different times of the day, they were allegedly attacked by McCalla, who blindfolded, gagged and bound them, before taking their cellular phones and other documents.

All three were arrested at an apartment on March 23 after allegedly trying to pull a similar con on two real estate agents.

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