Rohan Brown, a man who told the court that hunger led him to jump a fence and steal three breadfruits off a tree in a Kingston yard, pleaded guilty to praedial larceny in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, and was sentenced to three months in prison.
The complainant told the court that Brown had repeatedly trespassed on her property, stealing fruits from her trees, and in his own defence Brown told the court that he was hungry and had planned to prepare a meal of roast breadfruit and ackee. Brown reportedly tried to joke about the charges that had been brought against him, but the Resident Magistrate was apparently unamused, as she sentenced him to three months in prison.
Thieves struck at the Fair Prospect High School in Portland last night, reportedly stealing three desktop computers from the library, along with a multimedia projector, a variety of food items and a cash register from the school’s tuck shop.
The robbery could have significant repercussions, as the computers that were stolen have the Schools-Based Assessments (SBA) of numerous students (which will have to be redone, unless the computers are returned). A percentage of the SBA goes towards the students’ finals for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations.
A woman who reportedly went to a police station to make a report, but was reportedly turned away because she was not “properly dressed”, was reportedly stabbed to death just minutes after she left the police station last night.
According to reports, 31 year old Melonie Johnson went to the Caymanas Station in Gregory Park at approximately 9:45 last night to report a dispute that she had with another woman in the community. Johnson was reportedly turned away from the police station by a policeman who was on duty, who reportedly told her to get “properly dressed” before entering the station. Minutes after leaving the police station, she was reportedly confronted by the woman with whom she had the dispute, and during a fight she was stabbed to death.
Deloris Forrester, an administrative assistant and paralegal officer at the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court, appeared before that same court yesterday, where she was accused of using money that she collected from drug fines for her personal use.
The court heard that Forrester collected J$1,463,100 in fines between January and June 2010. In July, she was transferred to the St. Catherine Resident Magistrate’s Court, and some time there after, the Ministry of Justice discovered that the money collected by her was not handed over.
An audit was conducted by the ministry, and $666,100 was recovered in a filing cabinet at the Maxfield Park Health Centre (where the offices for the centre for drug rehabilitation are located(. The court also heard that the accused embezzled the remaining $797,000.
A report was made to the police and following investigations, Forrester was charged. In court yesterday, Forrester was granted $500,000 bail, and ordered to report to the Bridgeport Police Station on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She will return to court on December 9.
In what must be one of the most unusual drug busts in recent times, a man who swallowed 36 pellets of ganja (marijuana) and imported it to Jamaica from Trinidad, pleaded guilty to drug charges in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (November 3), and was sentenced to nine months in prison. The man, 28 year old Mark Maxam, a resident of Pelican Parade in Kingston 11, was also fined $6,400 and will serve an additional six months in prison if the fine is not paid.
Maxam was held at the Norman Manley International Airport on October 28, after he confessed during an interview. He was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital, where he expelled the pellets between October 28 and 31.
Two boys were reportedly stabbed and injured yesterday, and two others taken into custody, following a fight involving several morning shift students at the Marcus Garvey Technical High School in St. Ann’s Bay.
The police were not able to say what started the knife and machete-wielding melee, which left one of the boys severely injured in hospital after he was stabbed in the abdomen. The incident severely disrupted classes, and forced the police to maintain a presence on the school compound until the shift ended.
Two other boys are reportedly being sought by the police in connection with the incident.
16 year old Shakeal Nelson, a student of the St. Andrew College, was reportedly attacked and stabbed to death by a group of students in Half-Way-Tree yesterday.
According to reports, Nelson, who is from the Golden Spring area of rural St. Andrew, was attacked as he stood close to the Half-Way-Tree Transportation Centre. According to one eyewitness, loud shouts were heard, then he saw the bleeding boy on the ground and a group of other students running away from the scene.
