RELATIVES of the two men who on Tuesday failed to turn up in the Home Circuit Court for their rape trial were yesterday given until later this month to come up with the $350,000 in bail bonds or face imprisonment.

The sureties, who were on Tuesday given a day to inform the court of the men's whereabouts, were yesterday given until March 26 to come up with the money. The two told the court yesterday that they had spoken to the men on the telephone and asked them to turn themselves in, but to no avail. The sureties further told the court that they had sought the help of the police in finding the men.

Warrants were on Tuesday issued for the arrest of accused Damion Goulbourne, 22, and Marvin Erving, 25, of Golden Spring, St Andrew who are charged with the rape of a 16-year-old girl in the community in 2005. The accused last appeared in court on Monday when their trial was set for the following day.

On Tuesday, when the men failed to turn up for trial, one of the sureties told the court that he had heard that the men were planning to run away and that he tried to contact them but was unsuccessful.

Goulbourne and Erving, it is alleged, were among a group of men who raped the teen girl on November 19, 2005. The other men were not held.

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