Vendor faces 16 charges following court outburst, pleads guilty to 3

An East La Penitence, Georgetown, vendor was on Friday placed on bail after appearing before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to answer 16 charges, following a dramatic courtroom incident earlier in the week.
Fifty-year-old Roberta Murray appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, where she pleaded guilty to one count of assault, one count of resisting arrest, and one count of damage to property. She also faces multiple charges of assaulting Police Officers, using indecent language, damaging property, behaving disorderly, and fraudulently converting property entrusted to her for sale.
The case drew attention on Wednesday when Murray reportedly stormed the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts during ongoing proceedings. The woman pushed past Police Officers, entered the courtroom carrying a small basin of goods she was selling, and shouted repeatedly, “Madame, Madame,” appealing directly to the Magistrate for help.

Murray told the court that she was seeking assistance regarding her son, whom she claimed was wrongfully arrested, and alleged that she and her family had been subjected to harassment by the Police for years. Rather than having her removed from the courtroom, Acting Chief Magistrate McGusty asked Murray to sit and promised to look into her concerns.

Series of incidents
However, Murray’s court appearance on Friday was to face formal charges arising from a series of incidents dating back to January 5, when she allegedly resisted arrest at her East La Penitence home after seeing armed Police Officers and becoming frightened. She also faced allegations of assaulting eight Police Officers in the execution of their duties, which occurred on January 5 and January 14 at her home, the East La Penitence Police Station, and the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
She is further accused of fraudulently converting property entrusted to her for sale. According to the prosecution, in June 2025 at Ruimveldt, Murray was entrusted with sneakers valued at $581,500 belonging to Dion London, which she allegedly used for her own benefit. Murray denied the claim, explaining that she was selling the items as agreed but had allowed some customers to take them on credit, and they later failed to pay.
Additional allegations against Murray include using indecent language in public, damaging a food bin belonging to Sergeant Rampersaud, and behaving disorderly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, the court lock-ups, and the East La Penitence Police Station. Murray admitted that she resisted arrest on more than one occasion, including when she was placed in custody at the court on January 14, during which she alleged that an officer slammed her onto her back.
Speaking in court on Friday, Murray told the Magistrate that she had been mistreated while in Police custody and had not eaten or showered since her Wednesday arrest, relying only on water and juice brought to her by her son. She further claimed that three officers had beaten her at the East La Penitence Police Station while another officer recorded the incident on a mobile phone. Acting Chief Magistrate McGusty noted visible marks on Murray’s face and said she would make a record of them.
After hearing the matter, the Magistrate fined Murray $25,000 for assault, resisting arrest, and damage to property and placed her on $135,000 bail for the remaining charges. The case has been adjourned to February 13.