A 39-year-old vendor who had a quantity of firecrackers in his possession without a licence was yesterday ordered to pay a $10,000 fine or spend four months in prison when he appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Last week, three others were fined as well.
Kurt Peters of 207 West Ruimveldt Housing Scheme pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that on October 17 at Georgetown, he had in his possession 60 boxes of scratch bombs (firecrackers) without obtaining a licence for them.
The prosecution told the court that on the day in question the police were conducting a campaign in the Water Street area to rid it of firecrackers when the defendant was found with the items in his possession.
When given a chance to respond, the defendant told the court that he had no idea that having the firecrackers in his possession was against the law. The magistrate then told Peters that “ignorance to the law is no excuse.”
He was later ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 or spend four months in prison.
Meanwhile, police said last week that three more people were arrested and three others opted to pay fines when they appeared in court.
In a press statement, police said two men and a woman were arrested after raids were conducted in the Stabroek Market area and Water Street. They had in their possession over 253 boxes of “multiple explosives”, police said.
Meantime, three persons appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court charged with having the restricted explosives in their possession.
Shivdyal Etwaroo and Sherry Etwaroo, both of 660 Seventeenth Street, Foulis and Dharampaul Ramcharran, of 661 Seventeenth Street, Foulis were arrested at Enmore, East Coast Demerara with a large amount of multiple explosives in their possession.
The trio chose to pay fines instead of serving time in prison. The magistrate ordered the Etwaroos to pay a fine of $20,000 while Ramcharran paid $18,500.
