A 38-year-old painter convicted of cannabis offences has 12 weeks to pay the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court $1 000 if he wants to avoid three months in prison.
Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes imposed the sentence on Dwayne Ricardo Elliott of Signal Station Road, Flagstaff, St Michael after pleading guilty on Wednesday.
Elliott was reprimanded and discharged for the offences of possession and possession with intent to supply the illicit substance.
Sergeant Randolph Boyce told the court that police on patrol on Tuesday in Harwood Alley kept Elliott under observation and subsequently approached and requested a search to which he consented. When asked to account for the vegetable substance, later determined to be cannabis, he said: “It is mine”.
Before the chief magistrate, Elliot stated among other things that he used the drug to relax.
“All of you’ll have to smoke to be relaxed?” questioned Chief Magistrate Weekes who added: “That sounds nonsensical.”
The drugs weighed 56.59 grammes and had an estimated street value of $284.60.
