BAIL of $50,000 was yesterday granted to each of the three relatives of the 12-year-old boy who was allegedly locked naked in a dog kennel last week as a form of punishment.

Magistrate Christine Charles granted the bail bond to the boy's father, Michael Hargreaves, Hargreaves's cousin, Kendell Baptiste, and the boy's step-mother, Nasha Baboolal, upon their reappearance in court.

The trio were sent to prison on Thursday after bail was denied when they first appeared before the magistrate earlier that day.

Hargreaves and Baptiste are both charged with committing the offence of cruelty against the boy, while Baboolal is charged with assaulting him occasioning actual bodily harm.

The men are the first individuals to be charged under the newly-enacted Children's Act. The offences are alleged to have taken place at the boy's Upper Cascade Road, Cascade, home.

On Wednesday, Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard, SC, gave the directive to a team of Port of Spain Criminal Investigations Department officers, led by ASP Ajith Persad, to file charges against the trio.

During yesterday's hearing, police prosecutor Sgt Anderson Gonzales said both Hargreaves and Baboolal had no previous or pending matters before the court.

Baptiste, he said, had several matters pending. This, however, was disputed by defence attorney Patrick Godson-Phillip.

The attorney said he was not denying his client had been previously charged, but insisted those matters have since been completed.

The prosecution yesterday recommended the matters be heard summarily with all three accused pleading not guilty to the charges brought against them.

Gonzales said he was not objecting to bail, but stated that the prosecution had concerns about the welfare of the boy should bail be granted.

The prosecutor said there was the possibility, if bail was granted, of the accused making contact with the child, who now resides with one of his aunts, .

Godson-Phillip told the magistrate this was not an issue, as his clients were willing to abide by whatever order was made by the court.

As a condition of their bail bonds, all three accused were ordered to not make any physical contact with the boy until the determination of the matter.

The matter will continue on August 23.