CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – ELEVEN men from the Cotton Ground area yesterday (Sept. 22) escaped with a warning from Magistrate Yasmine Clarke after being charged with illegal gambling.
Among them was Lester Seabrookes, owner of Charlie’s Bar, who was charged with permitting the offence on his premises.
The court heard how Police Constable England and Sergeant Nias were conducting searches in the Cotton Ground area on December 5, 2008 when they looked through a window of the building and saw the men playing cards with money on the table. The officers testified that the bartender was behind the bar and that they entered and told the shop owner they had a warrant to search the premises.
The defendants argued that they were playing for drinks and the officers took the money from the hand of Jenerson France and not from the table. France said he was collecting money to buy drinks from the bar.
France’s claims were backed up by the others - John Mills, Errol Herbert, Mikey Williams, Fitzroy Browne, Steve Brown, Troy Nisbett, Jason Browne, Fitzroy Wilkinson and Aiseore Singh.
In the same court, two men from St. Paul’s Village in St. Kitts appeared to answer charges of possession of cannabis.
Shaheed Williams and Akimba Wattley both pleaded guilty to the offenses and were slapped with a fine of $800. Williams was ordered to pay the sum in three months or spend one month in prison while Wattley was ordered to pay within a month or spend one month in jail.
