An East Ruimveldt man, who yesterday told Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton that domestic problems caused him to smoke cannabis and begged for leniency, was sentenced to one year in prison together with a $6,000 fine.

Rayon Quow pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

He committed the unlawful act on Tuesday on Croal Street in the Stabroek Market area.
After he admitted to the offence, the magistrate informed Quow that it carried a prison sentence and inquired whether he still wanted to maintain his guilty plea. The man replied in the affirmative saying that he had an explanation.
Reading the facts of the case, Police Prosecutor Desire Fowler said that on day in question around 10.30 am, ranks were on patrol in the vicinity of Croal Street, Stabroek when the defendant was observed smoking a brown tobacco wrapped parcel and acting suspiciously.
He was confronted and an examination of the parcel revealed a quantity of cannabis leaves, seeds and stems.

Fowler said Quow was told of the offence being committed and was arrested.
Quow, explaining the reasons for his action, said he was having a little domestic problem and as such decided to “take a drink to ease meh head from de problem”.

He said that while he was taking his drink, his friend handed him the cannabis joint and “before ah coulda tek a pull he police come up pon meh”. According to Quow, on seeing the ranks he threw away the joint he was holding but the police retrieved it.

He added that he was taken to the station. “They didn’t tell meh nothing until today [yesterday]. This morning they tell me that I going to court for smoking,” he said.

In begging for leniency, Quow said he was solely responsibly for taking care of his two younger siblings and his two-year-old daughter.

He told the court that they were alone with no one to look after them.
Minutes before the magistrate handed down his sentence, Quow sat down on a bench in the court dock, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Magistrate Octive-Hamilton told him that she had taken into consideration that he did not waste the court’s time and as such was handing him the lightest penalty for the offence.