Man granted bail on ‘smoking weed’ charge

A man who was intercepted by Police Officers for allegedly smoking weed (marijuana) was on Monday granted bail when he appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman.
Gavin Hickson, 46, of 146 Alexander Street, Kitty, Georgetown, originally pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The charge stated that on May 19, 2017, at Kitty Public Road, Hickson smoked cannabis (marijuana).
However, the court was in for a morning of laughter as the defendant interrupted Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves as he was reading the facts to “clarify to you (Magistrate Latchman) what really happen”.
According to the defendant, he was not intercepted at Kitty Public Road, but rather at Alexander Street, Kitty.
The man explained that he was in the company of other men who were smoking which is “not where the thief men them and so does be”, when Police ranks came up to him and accused him of smoking ‘a joint of weed’, which was next to him on the ground.
According to Hickson, he was not smoking the weed, but as it was next to him, he admitted ownership and, as such, was arrested.
After his explanation, Magistrate Latchman entered a not guilty plea for him.
She then placed him on $20,000 bail.
However, the defendant told the Magistrate that he entered a guilty plea because he has no family in the country to bail him.
As such, Magistrate Latchman reread the charge to which the defendant again pleaded guilty.
She explained to him that the penalty attached to his offence was one to three years’ imprisonment along with a fine of $6000 to $15,000.
Upon hearing this, the defendant told the Magistrate that he wished to again change his plea to a not guilty one as “I gone get one of me pardna to bail me out”.
Magistrate Latchman granted his request and again placed him on $20,000 bail. The defendant is scheduled to return to court on June 12, 2017.