BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – CONTRARY to the information provided by the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, which stated that Pia Nisbett was sentenced to serve 18 months in jail with hard labour, the young woman’s lawyer categorically stated that she was fined for one offence and is currently at home with her children.
In an article published yesterday (May 4) headlined “Spooner’s woman caught with cocaine in underwear jailed”, a police release claimed that Nisbett had appeared in the Basseterre Magistrate’s Court on three drug-related charges, pleaded guilty to all and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
The press release read: “Pia Nisbett of Spooner's Village who was arrested and charged on three offences namely, Importation of Cocaine, Possession of Cocaine and Possession with intent to supply was on 4th May 2016. Having pleaded guilty on all charges, she was sentenced to eighteen (18) months imprisonment with hard labour on the charge of importation. No additional penalty was given for the remaining charges.”
However, speaking earlier this morning with Nisbett’s defence counsel, Attorney-at-Law Jason Hamilton, he claimed that the police’s information is grossly inaccurate and his client is distraught as well as her family members, after reading and hearing in the news that she was jailed.
He said the young woman had appeared before Chief Magistrate Josephine Mallalieu-Webbe at the Basseterre Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday (May 2), charged with importation of cocaine, posse4ssion of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, possession of a concealed good – cocaine, signing a false declaration and making a false statement or declaration.
“My client pleaded guilty on all counts but was only sentenced in relation to the importation charge. She was sentenced to a fine of $40,000 payable in 10 months. If in default, she would have to serve a term of one year imprisonment,” Hamilton said.
He also said that earlier in the trial, the magistrate indicate that she was contemplating a sentence of 18 months because she did not envisage Nisbett could pay a hefty fine “if circumstances which led her to the drug dealing in the first place was financial destitution. But taking the mitigating factors into consideration, the magistrate gave her a non-custodial sentence”.
SKNVibes understood that on the evening of Sunday, May 1, 2016, Nisbett was among three women who had returned to the Federation aboard a flight from neighbouring Antigua.
This media house had learnt that as a result of an intelligence-led operation, a search of the women’s person and their luggage was conducted and a quantity of white powdery substance was discovered in the underwear Nisbett was sporting at the time.
Consequently, she was taken into custody and the police subsequently confirmed that the substance was cocaine, which weighed .25 kilograms, with a street value of just under EC$23,000.
The police had charged her with importation of cocaine, posse4ssion of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to supply. At that time, however, a police release had stated that three additional charges were preferred against her by Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise Department. Those charges were possession of a concealed good – cocaine, signing a false declaration and making a false statement or declaration.
Shortly before posting this article, the police had issued another release apologising for the misleading information disseminated to the media for public consumption.
That release reads: “Pia Nisbett of Spooner's Village who was arrested and charged on three offences namely, Importation of Cocaine, Possession of Cocaine and Possession with intent to supply was on 4th May 2016. Having pleaded guilty on all charges, she was ordered to pay a fine of $40,000.00 to be paid in ten (10) months or if in default serve 1 year in prison. No additional penalty was given for the remaining charges.
“We regret any discomfort we may have caused Ms Nisbett, her family and her friends.
“ We request that any media house that have aired this item to please read this correction, and to remove any mention of this from your websites, and other pages.
“Again we apologize for the error.”
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