Capleton faces fire today
Attorney-at-law Christopher Townsend will seek bail for entertainer Capleton when he appears in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court in Half-Way-Tree today.
Capleton (given name Clifton Bailey), 51, spent the weekend at the Half-Way-Tree Police Station’s lock-up after being arrested and charged with rape on Friday.
Townsend is optimistic his client will be granted bail.
“We’ll be applying for bail when we appear in court… I see no reason why he would not be granted bail. He surrendered himself to the police and we anticipated he would be charged. He is not a flight risk and the police were in communication with him prior to his arrest,” Townsend told the Jamaica Observer yesterday. “He’s looking forward to his day in court.”
Asked about Capleton’s state of mind, Townsend said: “He is a positive gentleman. He is focused on getting over this hurdle and honouring his contracts.”
The dancehall artiste is booked for two major shows: Best Of The Best at Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida, on May 27; and Groovin’ In the Park at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, New York, on June 24. He is also booked for a June 9 gig in Trinidad and Tobago.
Several efforts to speak with Capleton’s manager, Claudette Kemp, were unsuccessful.
According to the Corporate Communications Unit, the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s information arm, Capleton hired a female hairdresser to groom his hair at a New Kingston hotel on April 28. It is alleged he forcibly had sexual intercourse with her. The hairdresser made a report to the police on May 2.
The police say later that day, Capleton went to the Half-Way-Tree Police Station and reported a case of extortion against the woman. He was arrested and charged after being interviewed in the presence of his attorney.
The cops say a probe into allegations against the woman is ongoing.
Capleton, aka King Shango or Fyah Man, burst unto the dancehall scene in the late 1980s with hard-core tracks including No Lotion Man and B…bo Red. In the 1990s he embraced the Rastafarian faith and his music took on a more spiritual tone. Some of those songs include Tour, Wing of The Morning, More Fire, and Jah Jah City.