At the Blairmont Court on Monday, Magistrate Tejnarine Ramroop sent Mark Benschop on his own recognizance after he pleaded not guilty to charges of obstruction of traffic and failure to exhibit markings on his vehicle.
The court heard that on January 11 Benschop, 36, of East Street, Georgetown left his vehicle in a dangerous position that was likely to cause obstruction to traffic. He was also charged with failure to exhibit on the right side of his vehicle, GLL 3101, name, address, speed limit and unladen weight of vehicle.
Attorneys-at-law, Lloyd Thomas and Joel Persid Edmond who represented Benschop submitted that their client did not obstruct traffic but was merely having a discussion about the toll with an official of the bridge for about 20 minutes.
They said with respect to the other charge, Thomas referred to a police vehicle that was in the compound that was registered in ‘G’ but did not have the markings. He argued that the police are “guilty of living in glass houses and throwing stones.”
In his submissions, Edmond said that on the day in question his client pulled up at the bridge with an intention of crossing when he was informed by the toll clerk that he would have to pay $7,200.
He said Benschop left to join the ferry instead but learnt that the vehicle would not be allowed on the boat and he subsequently returned to the bridge only to be told that he would have to pay $13,600.
Edmond further submitted that his client did not have the money to pay and after a while the officials at the bridge allowed him to park his vehicle in a corner and stopped a car for him to join to go across the bridge.
He said after completing his charitable work of giving computer lessons in various communities he returned for his vehicle when the police pulled up and ordered him to take his vehicle to the station.
According to Edmond his client co-operated fully and was informed of the offence and sent on his own recognizance but his vehicle was impounded.
The lawyer said that it was an inconvenience and a breach of his client’s constitutional rights for the police to keep his property without due process.
After listening to the submissions, Magistrate Ramroop placed Benschop on his own recognizance and ordered that his vehicle be returned immediately.
He is scheduled to return to court on January 26.
