A Venezuelan national who pleaded guilty to illegal entry into Dominica was fined $1,500 to be paid forthwith or in default, spend two month in jail.
29-year-old Hendrick Jose Velasques Machado was also ordered deported.
According to the facts of the matter, on December 4, 2012, at about 5:30pm, the Marine Unit was on patrol in Portsmouth when an open keel boat with 3 persons on board was spotted.
They were questioned but Machado was detained for further questioning and then referred to the immigration department.
He told police that he had arrived on the island between November 10-12 on a yacht but had gone to Portsmouth to purchase something and on return to the yacht saw his bag being thrown overboard by men on board.
His story is that after collecting his bag he swam to shore and not knowing anyone he was “afraid and slept on the road.”
In mitigation, his lawyer, Geoffery Letang, asked the court to “temper justice with mercy” in sentencing.
He called the situation “very unfortunate” and said that his client had fully cooperated with the police and not wasted the courts time. “He is a young man with two young kids and he is also presently completing his studies in general science at a university in his island … he wants to leave the country and the Venezuelan Embassy is trying to assist in him getting travel documents since Machado had no passport at the time of his arrest,” he said.
Magistrate Candia Carette-George admonished Machado and told him that every country has laws and there were “legal ways to enter the country” and he should have done it legally.
He was then slapped with the fine to be paid forthwith and ordered to remain in custody until his documents are prepared and then removed from the country “under proper escort under the Immigration and Passport Act.”
hitman
Whilst I do not sympathies with the plight of this Venezuelan would-be illegal immigrant, there seem to be a dichotomy here.
One man is being jailed for illegal entry , on the other hand there are literally thousands of non-native Dominicans flooding daily into, Dominica and putting a drain the scarce economic resources and social welfare system. Some of them even commit serious crimes, and if caught they not even deported, yet the system is making a big hoopla about one Venezuelan. Something is not right, there.
Thats the latest phrase from those dingbats ‘ temper justice with mercy’
where is the rest of the crew? they have protection?>
all u dho seeing dats a hit man..all u blind ..
How low do lawyers bend? How can grown men and women stupe o low just to make a dollar. The story makes absolutely no sense at all. In fact not even a 10 year old would make up such a disconnected sequence.
wey papa. what lawyers do allu they well do. u dont even know if the man was being paid. yes eh. i hope you never need a lawyer
Hmmmm …. so everyday I hearing about the mass migration from Dominica and that most of us are trying to get out of dodge and head for other shores. Yet, I am also hearing of an influx of Haitian, Chinese, Cuban and now Venezuelan(s) entering illegally. Am I missing something? Is there something that we don’t know that all those who are flocking to our shores are seeing?? I need to do my home work.
DNO stop gnawing at info. What happen to the others on the boat? and who were they Locals?
THis one has coke written all over it….where’s the find?? Many of dem live in D’a for trans-shipment. Cops know dat, so does the judge.
this is pocket change for mister…hmmmmm.
It is amazing that some people will do anything to live in another country as they tell lies about their reasons for being there. There must be something good in Dominica why he found his way there.
“His clients had fully cooperated with the police and not wasted the Court’s time.”
What’s with those lawyers who use this ‘cliche’ every time they defend criminals or illegals? So what if they cooperated and did not waste the Court’s time? The issue here is that they violated Dominica’s Law amd must pay the penalty.
Who is paying for their defense? We do know that it is the DA government. It would be a good idea just to deport them and get it over and done with at no cost to the DA government/taxpayers.
Those who are not Dominicans and who injure others and commit murder should also be deported.
I believe there are two reasons for this charge:
1. I doubt he supports Chavez. They must have gotton proof that he supported and voted against Chavez in the last election.
2. News that Papa Chavez is not well and named a successor serves as proof that they don’t expect him back in power and as a result they don’t have any mercy on the boy cause Chavez will not be in power to hold that against them. U know who I refer to as them.
That story don’t sound right at all. How can you be sailing and also in college at the same time? If you sailing don’t you have to obtain a seaman passport? Wow.
garson unfortunate or not or whatever his plight, doh want to hear no story…illegal entry he charged with $1500.00 alone allu chargin d man..illegal entry into his country…c if u will come back at all