CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – A Guyanese national was among four men and a juvenile who appeared before Magistrate Yasmine Clarke today (Apr. 20) at the Charlestown Magistrate’s Court to answer to charges of possession of cannabis, larceny and threatening, and they were fined at total of $5 100.
Ganeshram Kistro, a Guyanese who resides in Gingerland, Nevis, escaped a prison sentence after pleading guilty to larceny.
The court was told that Kistro. On Thursday, April 15, 2010, was caught stealing a bottle of Listerine, one Scope mouth wash, one Red Bull, 12 packets of Turbo Koolaid and a bottle of Nesquick Juice, all to the value of $112.86. The items were discovered in his pockets and pants waist.
A tearful Kistro begged the magistrate not to send him to jail and promised never to engage in such activity again.
“I don’t want to go to St. Kitts…I will miss my kids. I’m sorry, I have a brain problem,” he added. But before passing judgment, Magistrate Clarke said, “Don’t think you fool me with them tears.” Kistro was fined $2 000 and it is to be paid in three months or he will be imprisoned for 12 months.
Esah Slack of Low Street, who threatened Michael Perkins on December 7 last year, pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $500 to be paid in three months. If in default, he will have to spend three months in Her Majesty’s Prison.
Slack was represented by attorney Oral Martin, who, in his submission, stated that he knew it was a serious offence but asked the court to be lenient in sentencing.
Christoph Browne of Rawlins Pasture and Clayton Mills of Westbury were both fined $800 after pleading guilty to possession of cannabis; an offence they committed yesterday (April 19). Browne was given three months to pay his fine while Mills was given one month. In default, they will each have to serve a three-month sentence.
And a juvenile of Maynard’s Ground, who pleaded not guilty to the offence of malicious damage, was found guilty and fined $1 000 to be paid in three months or spend 12 months in prison.
He was also restricted from visiting the Gingerland Secondary School’s compound and should not be seen 100 yards within the school’s property. The offence was committed on March 12, 2010.
Prosecution’s witness Juliette Browne, who is an office attendant at the school, testified that she observed the defendant was bending down by the fence and when she got closer he left. The witness also stated that when the defendant moved from where he was bending, she noticed the wire fence was cut.
The juvenile, who was self-represented, asked the witness if she had seen him cut the fence and she replied in the negative.
Dawn Jeffers, Principal of the school, also gave evidence and stated that she was surprised when the office attendant told her about the hole in the fence, because just a couple hours before she was pleased with the Public Works Department for a job well done on the fence of the school.
In his defence, the juvenile testified that he was there waiting to get a ball to play basketball by the court, and he was only bending down by the fence because his hand chain got hooked to the fence. “I did not cut the fence,” he added.
