A 29-year-old man of Virgin Lane, Roseau, who was arrested on Saturday May 12, 2012 by Pointe Michel police at Melvina’s bar will now have to find EC$1,500.00 to pay the court for his indiscretion after he pleaded guilty to two charges imposed on him.
The court heard that Hughan Payne was at Melvina’s Bar when the police who were on duty in the area spotted him smoking what appeared to be a marijuana joint.
Police attempts to take the joint from him proved unsuccessful.
Police prosecutor Inspector Claude Weekes told the court that when the police approached him (Payne) and shouted “police, police” he threw the cannabis away and when an officer tried to detain him he slapped the officer.
“He was very aggressive and abusive and force had to be used to arrest and restrain him,” Weekes told the court.
He was slapped with charges of obstruction under the drugs Act and battery on police.
Payne pleaded guilty to both charges and said that he was “sorry” for his actions, did not hear the shout of police and thought it was a friend trying to hold him.
His lawyer Wayne Norde in mitigation ask for a non-custodial sentence describing his client as a painter who was “remorseful and had not wasted the courts time.”
He viewed the incident as “unfortunate.”
Magistrate Candia Carette George warned Payne about his behavior and fined him EC$500.00 for obstruction, with two months behind bars if he fails to pay up by a June 15 (2012) deadline.
He was also ordered to pay EC$1,000.00 for the battery on police by August 31, 2012, or face four months in jail.
the police didn’t even state he was a police he jus grabbed the man hand then he fined him for battery cause he was embarassed
Tell the police to Giv his story str8 . They lie sometimes to. I saw everything!
OK HERE IS HOW YOU BEAT THE Ganja Charge.
1. When the officer approach either swallow or throw it where it cannot be recovered.
2. Don’t say ANYTHING and ask to contact your lawyer even if u don’t have one.
3. When you appear in court tell the judge it was only tobacco. Since no blood test was conducted. The judge will say why did you throw it away. Tell him/her that you was in fear for your safety because the police is known for harrassing you. He may believe you but will fine you $1000 to be paid at a later date.
Are these officers for real? What they looking for STRIPES? Trying to take the spliff from him whilst he was smoking it. Come on officers thrying to take a spliff from a man whilst he smoking is like trying to take a bone from a dog. That officer should have gotton his face busted. STOP WASTING TAX PAYERS MONEY!!!
Everybody knows that you should not react in an aggressive manner towards the police. It is way better to act calm and relaxed, co-operate a little…in some cases you might find the officer being the overly aggressive one in the situation.
I can’t believe police still arresting people for a little joint. Alcohol is more dangerous than weed. Just saying..
we really need to look at this discussion in a constructive manner. Talk to your parliamentary representative NOW. Decriminalise the grass. Do a rally with a thousand spliffs being smoked at the same time on the bay front and work on an arrest one arrest all. Somebody talk to the big man. Too much time in court wasted bcause of zeb.
YES I!!!!I SUPPORT DAT FULL TIME!!!ALL GANJA MAN WOMAN,INCLUDING I WILL BE DERE.NO WAY DEM CAN ARREST OVER 1000PPL SMOKING HERBS DERE.SUMTING NEEDS TO BBE DONE BOUT DIS.THE HERB NEEDS TO BE DECRIMINALIZED!!!!
A whole lot of bull.
Most of you here READ but did not UNDERSTAND the article ……. like Mascapone said……… the article CLEARLY states what he was charged with…… for those comments made about being charged for ‘a joint’, that is NOT what the article said….. and so, if it had been the charge, the Court would have been right, marijuana IS illegal!
Some of allu people must have trouble with the English language. THE MAN WAS NOT FINED FOR POSSSESSION. He was fined for obstruction and battery. Allu blind or stupid? Stupes man…..
he was obstructing the police from his weed and he was frightened. If it were rum the police wouldnt have annoyed him in the first place. Name one ganja man that does beat his woman and I’ll name you twenty alcoholics that beating their whole family
Cocaine is the so called “killer” not weed…
and your point is?
I don’t really see any sense in charging a man for a joint. They should focus on the big quantities not one little joint
okay, he had a joint. I have seen men act much worse drunk than high. I prefer to be in a room of potheads than a room of drunks. Marijuana isnt so bad!
A JOINT!ONE JOINT!POOR YOU POLICE OFFICERS.ZOT PA NI TWAVAY POU FE.YOUR FRIENDS PEDDLING KILOS OF COCAINE AND YOU TURN YOUR HEAD THE OTHER WAYNO WONDER SOME OF YOU SELLING GUNS.WOE UNTO THAT JUDGEWASTE OF TIME AT THE COURTS.1500 DOLLARS FOR A JOINT.THAT POLICE OFFICER YOU MUST PAY FOR THIS USELESS ARREST
I know Hughan. My brother be stronge. The world is a corrupt place. Its safer to be gay than to smoke a herb in this nasty world. The herb is God’s plant. You di nothing wrong in the sight of the Most High. You were just freeing up your meditation.
people who smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol should be arrested too..all those contribute to destruction..its amazing how they could arrest a man for smoking marijuana , and its the alcohol which is to be blamed for road fatality, domestic violence. and alot of societal ills. i am not a supporter of the use of Marijuana but my view is that if alcohol and cigarettes are legal , marijuana should be.
SEND A STRONG MESSAGE OUT THEIR MAGISTRATE. SEEM LIKE GANJA IS LEGALIZED IN DOMINICA THESE DAYS.
YOUNG MEN HAVE NO RESPECT FOR THEMSELVES. LOW MORAL. IF YOU HAVE THE URGE TO SMOKE A JOINT GO INTO THE NEARBY BUSHES AND BURN YOUR WEED NOT IN THE PUBLIC VIEW.
WELL, THE POLICE WAS LOOKING TOO BAD HE WAS NOT. LOL
True thin. Is not a cigarette
mohammed you sound just crazy like that prophet of yours !!
God never said marijuana is illegal!! never and ever ,it will forever will be a natural God created herb !
In today”s day and age, one is still being fine for a joint? come on dominica”.
Is not cuz of d JOINT dey charge him. His behavior dat cuz him to hav pay
! BCUZ IF THEY HAD FOUND THE JOINT THEY WOULD HAVE CHARGED HIM ANYWAY.YOU TRYING TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CHARGED FOR THE JOINT
Ur so right! i remember in the days of Halem in New Town the guys were being beatn by police for braiding their hair and having black power painting on the wall in their homes, i was present, i seen these things..Loftus Emmanuel went thru hell in those days, 11 police beat him one time..dat was brutal, i`ll never 4get dat, back in the early 70`s…..Pauline
This is what he was fined for:
“fined him EC$500.00 for obstruction, with two months behind bars if he fails to pay up by a June 15 (2012) deadline.
He was also ordered to pay EC$1,000.00 for the battery on police”
Do you see anywhere where he was fined for possession? Read the article again.
Well if the police didn’t try to take the joint away from him . there would never have been the need for obstruction. what the heck is one joint.
So now Melvina’s Bar in the news now as the “Mad Lawyer” in the Juror story wanted it to be. LOL
I wonder if that was a coke pipe how much would the fine be.
You can try it to find out
u all thumb down the question but that’s the reality of things right now.Coke is King and “almost” legal