Stay off the road, warns Chief Magistrate

A strong message must be sent to those who flout the Covid-19 directives, says Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes as he imposed a $3,000 fine on a 28-year-old mechanic who was caught breaking curfew.

Now Rohan Roman Spencer of Pool Land, No 1, St John has 12 weeks to settle the amount with the District ‘D’ Magistrates’ Court if he wants to avoid spending one month at Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds.

Spencer also has the same amount of time to pay $500 to the court for driving a motorcar on Wednesday when it had no third party insurance. He is also facing one month in prison if that money is not paid. However, he was reprimanded and discharged for not having the vehicle registered with Licensing Authority.

Sergeant Theordore McClean revealed that police were conducting operations on April 22 when they came across Spencer in a car along the Ronald Mapp Highway opposite the St Thomas Parish Church. He was approached and asked for his reason for being on the round at 7:10 p.m. when there was a directive in place forbidding persons to be outdoors.

He told police, “I deh going in the Whim by my girlfriend to breeze.”

That explanation was not a reasonable excuse and Spencer was arrested. The other two charges arose from investigations during the same stop.

Today, Spencer told the chief magistrate he had finished working on the car and was taking it back to his girlfriend. He also explained that he had been on the road earlier that day to conduct business at the bank as it was his day to do so.

He told the magistrate that he left St John around 6 p.m. that Wednesday heading to the Whim in St Peter and did not realise that it was that late .

Responding to the explanation the Chief Magistrate said, “Wunna doing a bunch of nonsense. Wunna got all these smart phones but have no idea of the information y’all are receiving.” Weekes pointed to the number of public service announcements about the national emergency and the curfew.

“If you had struck a child on the road and that child had been paralysed, then what? You would have had to get a wrecker to move the car.

“Wunna doing a bunch of craziness,” the Chief Magistrate added before he sentenced Spencer.

Weekes also warned Spencer to “stay off the road”.