An 18-year-old Dominica Grammar School student has used his ‘fear’ of being beaten by police as a defense for committing obstruction and resisting arrest on August 27, 2010 in Roseau.
Marcus Jno Baptiste pleaded guilty to the two charges when he appeared before Magistrate Ossie Lewis Monday morning.
He however pleaded not guilty to obstruction under the Drugs Act. That charge was later withdrawn.
According to the facts of the case presented by the police prosecutor, at about 5:45 p.m. on the said date Constable Registe J and other officers were in the vicinity of River Bank near the Canefield bus stop when they were approached by a bus driver who pointed to the defendant and reported that he (the defendant) had threatened to shoot him.
The bus driver said that he believed the defendant had a firearm.
Upon being informed of this, the officers called to Jno Baptiste, who was at the time on a bicycle. He ignored their call and began riding away. While attempting to escape, Registe saw the defendant push his hand under his shirt, take something and throw it into the nearby bushes.
When he was finally caught, Jno Baptise asked police, “What did I do nuh? What I do?”
The prosecutor told the court that Jno Baptiste had attempted to escape a second time while in the custody of Constable Registe.
At that time, the other officers had gone in search of the article he allegedly threw in the bushes.
The defendant was pursued along the river bank road and finally caught. “Ok officer, all you catch me,” he told police.
Jno Baptiste, in mitigation explained to the court that the incident was spurred by a “nonsensical argument” he had with a bus driver who had called the police.
He argued that he had only ran away for 10 seconds after he stopped and realized that it made no sense so gave up himself.
“I don’t want to get no harsh sentence because I have to go to school … I going to fifth form to see if I can get a job…” he told the court.
He reiterated that his reaction had been solely based on his fear of being physically abused by police.
The defendant was fined $450 to be paid by October 31 or he will spend six weeks in prison.
“Take whatever you can from this experience and ensure that you don’t come back here,” Magistrate Lewis told the teenager.
boy legs,,,u is my very good friend my dawg,,,but dat kind of tings u getting yuh self in to my boy…..i was just like u b4 but listening to my mom and facing hash penalty at the court made me calm down my self….. trouble doesn’t pay fadah u dat paying it…..finish wit dem kinda of dem ting dere change up yuh self
cus y cus y u must behave ur self boy a big man like u i mean com on ur father love u much an granny to boy u must stop does tings an stop the smoking cuz stop follow them bullerz in ur lane cuz u is a bright an cex ur self befor u sell ur self ok so later……………….
wat is dis shut up at least he hand d guts to say he want to complete skool props on dat am not sayin wat he did was rite but still give d youth a break d magistrate had a heart one love stop hatin :@
everyone is talking but no one knows wat happened.Well the real person told me wat happened and he told me that he did not throw away anything and that the bus drivers provoked him until he lost it and began to put the stupid bus driver in his place but it seems that ppl only saw the part were the young person reacted so all the ppl who are being bios and hypocrite and just lookin for another to waste thier life in jail shut ur mouth and get the tru story
Another slap on the wrist
How do you expect to deter crime when all offenders, regardless of background and nature, appearing before the courts are handed get out of jail free cards?
What he threw into the bushes was not a piece of stick and I’m quite sure that whether it was a gun, a knife or a bag of weed it was not legal to be on his person. The minimum fine for ANY crime of violence or threat of violence should be $2,000 to be paid in @400.00 monthly installments or else is jail.
I am in the system………. i tediously try to understand how these young men stand before the magistrate and get charged for a crime today and tomorrow they sit in Dominican classrooms, in front of teachers and among their peers as if they are the “prized possession” of the education system?
When will these ‘enlightened policy writers’ with their paper degrees just admit that they have screwed up?
wel wel wel he too like to play bad..thats wat.. friends lead u astray. DAT GOOD FOR HIM…hope he change. which i doubt.
lo lol lol
LOL..I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN WITNESS TO THIS INCIDENT….IT IS AMAZING HOW THE YOUNG MAN CAME UP WITH THIS CUNUCTED STORY..WHICH IM SURE WAS PREPARED BY HIS LAWYERS…..THIS YOUNG MAN IS A POSTER CHILD FOR WHAT IS GOING WRONG WITH OUR YOUTHS…I DONT EVEN THINK HIS PARENTS ARE AWARE OF THE TYPE OF CHILD THEY HAVE…..THIS BOY WAS RUDE..CUSSING…HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO RESPECT FOR HIS ELDERS…OR THE LAW….I WOULD HAVE BROUGHT HIS PARENTS IN AND LET HIM SPEND AT LEAST THREE WEEKS IN PRISON.
Marcus, what a shame. You have let down your family. Instead of forming the fool, you should be working in the family business, like you father and uncle. No, you want your own way. I hope you learn a lesson. You are lucky. The magistrate has been easy on you.Next time, you may not be so lucky. SHAME. Your father should give you a nice licking.
What is wrong with our magistrates and court system? These young men are getting away with slaps on their wrists and criminal activities in this country continue to rise. He thinking about school now! This is not how school children should behave. these guys are constantly breaking the law and keep getting away with it. When is the court system going to clamp down on these guys. he should be charged for threatening the guy, is their habit. People should not take these threats lightly anymore.
I am in the education system and this system is filled with young criminals and the courts giving them prizes for their behaviour. It is time to put a stop to these guys
De police should have given him some boots in his butts for running away and then he would think twice next time in running.
Its said to see what marcus is geting into very sad….My heart goes out to his parents. Knoew him since he was very little, no excuse for this behaviors marcus.
Fear of police brutality? Well, well, well. I will give him his props. He is intelligent but if you fear the police you would not get into trouble. All man big until they reach in police hands then they turn into sissy punks. They talk big and act big outside. All of a sudden, he remember school and job. Hypocrite!! I giving you one chance to meet that fella again. I know you will be boasting they doh do nothing with you. You young people need to behave. Check yourselves. Keep quiet!!!
Magistrate Ossie Lewis was considerate and at the same time lenient on this young man. In consideration of his studies which he indicated that he wanted to continue, he should have been fined $450.00 (leniency) and bonded over to keep the peace for the next three years – if the law so allow, failing which he would be sent to prision doubling the time of this conviction (harsh), after which he would be prosecuted for the other matter. The society has to sed a very clear unambiguos lesson to those we hold as the future leaders of Dominca. There are too many criminal activities perpetuated by young people and they simplhy get off on a “youthful argument”. We are talking about a young man allegedly threatening to shoot a bus driver -someone who is providing an invaluable service to the state.