Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson ordered a Suriname national to pay a fine of $30,000 or the alternative of 18 months jail after he pleaded guilty to entering Guyana without the consent of an immigration officer.

According to the facts of the case on December 5, 2008, at Springlands, Corentyne, 27-year-old Hankie Haynes, a barber of ‘C’ Field Sophia entered Guyana by sea without the consent of an immigration officer.

The defendant told the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, “When I come through de back track to Guyana, there was no Immigration Officer there because it was a Sunday an suh I just come through.” Haynes said too that it was not the first time that he had used that port to get in and out of Guyana and added that he would usually use it since using the ferry service takes a much longer time. He then said he was not aware that he had committed an offence.

Magistrate Robertson then pointed out that he was the one who said “back track” and as such he should have known that it is an illegal port of entry and disembarkation.

Haynes will also be sent back to Suriname.