“Ow nah madam, give meh lil community service nah man,” a man who allegedly stole two cases of empty bottles beseeched Magistrate Nyasha Williams-Hatmin yesterday.
Terry Johnson of Fourth Street, La Penitence, Georgetown pleaded not guilty to a charge of simple larceny when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
It is alleged that on November 15 at Fourth Street, La Penitence Johnson stole two cases of drink bottles worth $2,000, property of Mahendra Balram.
Johnson told the magistrate that he wanted community service or “something like that” because he couldn’t manage the “hassle of moving from one courtroom to the other”. However, he was placed on $15,000 bail.
The accused will have to appear in Court One on December 3.
community service with chains on his ankle and a sign around his neck saying ‘i’m a thief’.
Freespeech, I think that is too hard, before he do community service, the community might have to service him!
Are you serious? The crime was a non-violent one. ISDNM
HEAR YE. HEAR YE. Man beat e wife, $10,000.00 bail. Man almost kiil e wife, $10,000.00 bail. Man stab and almost kill e mattie man, $10,000.00 bail. Man teef two cases of empty bottles, wanted to save tax payers money and beg for mercy, $15,000.00 bail. Guyana Justice System. The song by The Merry Men comes to mind. “Who civilised, and who is the jackass”
you are right on this one.
So feakin right here pal!!!! Guns found in house on Regent St, suspects out without a single charge, magistrate attempted to murder uniformed policeman, drives unlicenced vehicle, etc etc, nothing happens. Man steals a few bottles & gets a life sentence. Isn’t this more than a truck load of crap.
Let the man clean some trenches & market squares & send him home stop the bull!!!
Hats off to you on this one. Something is very wrong, with our country.
Isn’t that the craziest thing you’ve ever heard??. But let me tell you, I overheard a conversation where someone was asking a businessman to hire his nephew who was just released from jail and needed a job.The businessman replied ,was he in jail for stealing, and the guy said no, he was in jail for selling drugs, to which the business man replied I’ll hire him as long as long as it wasn’t for stealing.
Some real crazy reasoning I completely agree!
So true, the justice system in Guyana (assuming there is one) is nothing more than a joke. And to think that the taxpayers are actually paying for this. No wonder the country is in such a mess financially and every which way. This is the main reason the Guyana economy has been on life support for so many years and counting. And to think I call this place home; just wish the government (if there is a governing body) would listen to the cries of the masses.
In my opinion persons who commit simople crime should be given community service, a fine and maybe probation. It seems such a waste of the courts time to even have to be presented with such small matters as the thef of empty bottles worth $2,000. Greater Georgetown need cleaning up, so they can use these individuals who commit simple crime to help with this task of picking trash up, restoring the Botanical Gardens, or even help clean and restore the filty jail system to some type of cleanliness.
You cannot afford to create precident..if you go that way then you will get a lot of bottle thieves and community workers. This will certainly get out of control..let them face the full force of the law so that examples can be set…
you are so right, here in the u.s.a when a person jump the trains and are caught they are made to do community services, such as cleaning the parks, or cleaning the subway, i can remember i got into a fight and was arrested and brought before the courts, i was made to do 10 days of community service, i was released on my own recognozes.. so i agree with community servises for minor infraction.
It may be simple larceny but if he got off lightly, he would only graduate to other crime which may not be simple.some incarceration for this crime is warranted so he knows not to take whats not his.
Grind the oppressed to dust! Hustling $2000 worth of empty bottles… will now take up space that does not exist in JAIL… $15000 BAIL? WAY TO GO! … hard working magistrate…
They have to show that the system is working>They can’t do this to the rich and connected people. Someone has to be made the scapegoat.
What is wrong with you banna?You are condoning crime?He steals another persons property, is that ok with you?
How would you feel if it was your bottles he steal?I
hmm
Ask and it shall be given unto you, don’t steal, hush you mouth you goin to jail.
Way to go Arnold!
Jail a man ‘fa thiefin’ $2,000 worth of empty bottles, but set free a Jamaican who entered Guyana illegally, with some cock and bull story.
R U Guyanese after all?
I believe these magistrates need a formula to dish out bail.
Here is a a guy (probably homeless) and also hungry, stole empty drinks bottles and a hefty bail by Guyanese standards. 10 us stolen , bail 75us.
You know he cant pay the fine.
Then in another case weapons are used to hurt someone, and they get minimal bail.
Magistrates just call a figure for bail, they dont balance the crime.
What nonsense is this? A man place on $15,000 bail for steeling 2 cases of empty drink bottles while another was place on $10,000 bail for illegal possession of six scratch bombs.
Question, how is bail calculated, is it that the petty crimes are at a higher risk (dumb) but it seems so.
Come on people in authority get a life.
The difference here is..No fix place of abode the bail is higher…fixed place of abode the bail is smaller..Bail is a sureity lodged to ensure the accused returns to answer the charges..The stablier to accused are it is better for them…
Stealing is a very serious crime,,,it is an invasion of your privacy…ever got something stolen from you like your car or your apartment broken into,,,this is serious.
Well i guess you can ask for what sentence you want, for stealing drinks bottle worth 2,000 dollars you get 15,000 dollars bail but when you maim and kill you get 10,000 dollars bail, this is real justice in guyana.
It is obvious something is wrong here. I am not a bleeding heart liberal, but we need to find out exactly what is his problem. On the other side of the coin his fine is slightly high compared to other classs of crime. We need to look at this also.