Motorcyclist fined $330,000, ordered to perform community service after conviction on 24 traffic charges

A 20-year-old motorcyclist was on Thursday fined a total of $330,000 and ordered to perform six months of community service, after pleading guilty to 24 traffic offences committed over two consecutive days along Tabatinga Drive, Lethem, Central Rupununi. The defendant, Romel Bhola, of Tabatinga Housing Scheme, Region Nine, appeared before Magistrate Omadatt Chandan at the Lethem Magistrate’s Court, where he admitted to a series of breaches of the motor vehicle and road traffic laws. Police said Bhola was the rider of a black motorcycle bearing no identification marks when he committed the offences on Tuesday and again on Wednesday. For offences committed on January 13, Bhola pleaded guilty to 13 charges, including operating an uninsured motor vehicle, operating an uncertified motor vehicle, and failing to display identification marks on both the front and rear of the motorcycle. He was also charged with making a loud and continuous noise, improper maintenance of a motor vehicle, failure to carry a speedometer, failure to carry a reflecting mirror, and failure to carry directional indicator lights at both the front and rear. Additional charges included driving an unlicensed motor vehicle, operating a motorcycle without a safety helmet and failure to give the right of way.
For these offences, Bhola was fined varying amounts, with penalties ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, or imprisonment in default of payment.

The following day, January 14, Bhola again pleaded guilty to 11 additional traffic charges, many of which mirrored the earlier violations. These included operating an uninsured motor vehicle, operating an uncertified motor vehicle, failure to display identification marks on both the front and rear, improper maintenance, failure to carry a speedometer, failure to carry a reflecting mirror and failure to carry directional indicator lights at both the front and rear. He was further charged with driving an unlicensed motor vehicle and making a loud and continuous noise.
For this second set of offences, the court imposed fines of up to $30,000 per charge, or imprisonment in default. In total, Bhola was convicted on 24 traffic offences, resulting in fines amounting to $330,000, or 33 weeks’ imprisonment if the fines are not paid.

In addition to the monetary penalties, Magistrate Chandan ordered Bhola to perform six months of community service at the Lethem Police Station, commencing on Friday, January 23, 2026, between the hours of 09:00h and 12:00h. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) in a statement, reiterated its call for motorists to comply with traffic laws and regulations, stressing that enforcement efforts will continue in the interest of public safety, particularly in hinterland regions where traffic violations remain a concern.