A 31-year-old taxi driver was sentenced to eight months in prison on Monday after admitting to breaching an order of protection. Ronald Balgobin was also charged for abduction and remanded to prison on that charge.
Balgobin, of Cinderella City and Amelia’s Ward, Linden, appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court, where the charges were read to him. The charges stemmed from an incident on October 27, 2024, involving his ex-girlfriend, Basmattie “Penny” Bassant, a 37-year-old housewife from Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Jailed: Ronald Balgobin
For the abduction charge, which falls under Section 4 of the Kidnapping Act, Chapter 10:05, Balgobin was not required to plead, and the matter was adjourned. However, for the breach of the protection order, under Section 16(1) of the Family Violence Act 2024, he admitted guilt and was immediately sentenced.
Balgobin had been the subject of a police manhunt before his arrest last week. Acting on intelligence, police found him hiding under a bed at a residence in Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara (EBD), around 19:00h on Wednesday last. Two other individuals at the location were also arrested for harbouring a fugitive.
Police had issued a wanted bulletin for Balgobin in connection with Bassant’s alleged abduction. The abduction case will continue on March 13.
Bassant, who had previously obtained a restraining order against Balgobin, has been vocal about her ordeal. In a social media post, she claimed that Balgobin and two accomplices kidnapped her from her home, stripping her of her dignity before forcing her away.
She described a harrowing escape along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, where she spotted a police patrol and managed to flee.
“I screamed for help when I saw the police passing, and then [Balgobin] let go of my hand. I ran towards the patrol like a mad woman with no underwear, no bra, just his short pants and a top, no footwear,” she recalled.
Bassant had initially expressed frustration over what she saw as a lack of justice, alleging that despite multiple reports to police, including one to the Commissioner of Police, her case was not being taken seriously. (G9)
