Bob Marley Grandson Awaits December Trial

Matthew Prendergast, the grandson of reggae legend Bob Marley and Rita Marley, will return to court in December to answer to a gun charge.

The Jamaica Observer first reported that Prendergast, the son of Bob Marley’s adopted daughter, was to be tried on September 24 when his case came up for mention in the High Court Division of the Gun Court in Jamaica.

According to Foundation Radio Media Network, Bob Marley’s grandson was slapped with the gun charge after an altercation with a security guard at the Bob Marley museum on Hope Road in St. Andrew, Jamaica.

Prendregast, who followed in Bob Marley’s footstep to become a musician, was charged with illegal possession of firearm and assault at common law, as reported by the The Inquisitr.

He purportedly pointed a gun at the security guard on April 5 during a squabble on the Bob Marley Museum grounds, though no gun has been recovered.

The Jamaica Observer said that a new date had to be set for trial because when Bob Marley’s grandson and lawyer Christian-Tavares Finson, son of famed Jamaican lawyer Tom Tavares Finson, turned up at court, they were told that some witness statements were still outstanding.

The Inquisitr previously reported that the attorney divulged that Prendergast did get into an altercation with the security guard, but denied that a gun was involved. The lawyer expressed confidence that Marley’s grandson would be vindicated at trial after he was awarded bail set at $200,000.

He was quoted as saying, “We are happy that we were able to get bail today and we are confident that when the matter comes to trial in September that Matthew will be vindicated.”

That vindication has not yet come, however, as both Bob Marley’s grandson and his legal team — headed by Finson — will have to wait until December to hear a final decision on the case.

Even with a date set for December, it may still be a while before this case is disposed of given the slow pace at which the Jamaican justice system operates.

Back in 2010, Prendergast’s mother, Sharon Marley, who is the adopted daughter of Bob Marley, was arrested following an incident involving a 6-year-old boy.

It was reported that Ms. Marley, who operates a Learning Centre, reportedly confronted the 6-year-old boy whose mother is employed at the institution. It is alleged that following a commotion, Ms. Marley held onto the child and took him inside a room. Minutes later, the child was overheard screaming. When he emerged from the room, he was crying, and reportedly bore bruises and other marks.

While his mother’s case has been dropped, Bob Marley’s grandson will still have to face the courts to answer to the gun charge.

[Image from: Jamaica Observer]