Two men were convicted and ordered to pay a total of $6000 in fine for breaking curfew laws.
Otis Nash, 48yrs-old of Coolidge appeared before Chief Magistrate Walsh at St. Johns Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, charged with failing to comply with curfew restrictions. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was ordered to pay a fine of $5000 forthwith, or serve 6 months in prison. He was arrested during a patrol by police officers attached to Grays Farm police on Market Street around 5:30am on Monday.
Similarly, 57yr-old Raphael Mc Donald Joseph of Jennings appeared before Magistrate Wason at St. Johns Magistrate’s Court on Monday. He too pleaded guilty to the charge and was ordered to pay a fine of $1000 forthwith or serve 30 days in prison.
Officers attached to Bolans Police Station met Joseph on All Saints Road around 9pm on Sunday. He was arrested and taken custody.
Meanwhile, 25yr-old Kenneth Coulbourne of Parham Town is due before the Court this week, also charged for breaching curfew restrictions. Coulbourne was arrested during a patrol in Parham around 10pm on Monday.
Police continue to appeal to the general public to conform to the established curfew laws, in an effort to control any further spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
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The law enforcement and the courts need to be very careful when arresting these people who break the curfew law and put them in prison. Some of these people might be the carrier of the coronavirus and take it into the over crowded prison.
Other countries around the world especially big countries are not sending people to jail or prison with minor crimes to avoid coronavirus outbreak in prisons and jails.
Antigua and Barbuda need to do the same.
Well tap ah you yard…
Simple
@maryland …That’s true. Also, in some of those “other countries”, a lot of their citizens are voluntarily following their officials’ COVID19 related health advisory unlike here a lot of our citizens haven’t gotten “the memo of the day” fully. To address your concern, maybe once these curfew law breakers are found guilty, and if they can’t pay the fine, then we can “delay” them from serving time. Basically, let them serve their prison time at 1735 after this coronavirus epidemic is over. This way the prison house isn’t over crowded during the COVID19 epidemic. This helps the effort to control any further spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
Force make water run up the hill……. The Covid -19 virus is very serious…. The Govt is doing the right thing to minimize the spread of the virus….. If the law breakers do not pay, have them tested before they are sent to jail. They could be asymptomatic and perhaps infect the jail population at the end of the day
The day we “Third World” countries begin to ape the practices of the so-called First World, would signal the end of a workable, not criminal-friendly dispensation of justice. Su you don”t want to go jail because you fear you mght contract covid-19, here’s your choice. Pay the fine or Go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass GO, do not collect $200.
Why the difference in how much each was fined … one 5000 while the other 1000??? Were these people leaving home for essentials???
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