Andrew Williams, charged with possession of marijuana for trafficking, was remanded to prison on Thursday after a court learned that he had allegedly confessed to police.
Williams was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court One, where he was charged with having 28.5 grammes of cannabis in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.
When the charges were read to him by the Chief Magistrate, he was quick to plead guilty.
The Chief Magistrate asked Williams if he was sure that he wanted to plead guilty, since the trafficking of marijuana carries a mandatory three-year sentence along with a $30,000 fine.
Williams then said he would pay the $30,000 fine. The Chief Magistrate told him it was not an option and he would still have to serve three years in prison. The man was still confused and said he would pay the money but he did not want to go to jail. The magistrate explained once again the implications of a guilty plea but to no avail as Williams remained confused.
After a back and forth between the magistrate and Williams, his lawyer James Bond finally arrived and after a few words between the two men, Williams immediately changed his plea to not guilty.
Prosecutor Michael Grant said the police acted on information given to them and went into Roxanne Burnham Gardens and conducted a search. It is there that Williams was allegedly found with three transparent Ziploc bags, containing leaves, seeds and stems that were later confirmed to be cannabis.
Bond, however, said when the police arrived, there was a group of men liming at a shop and all of them ran “helter skelter” except for his client, who felt he had no reason to run because he did not do anything wrong. Bond also claimed that the cannabis was not found in his client’s possession but on a ledge in the shop.
When the Chief Magistrate heard this, she asked Prosecutor Grant to read the police file, which contained a statement allegedly made by Williams, that “I just collect this weed from meh brethren.”
As a result, the magistrate remanded him and the matter was transferred to Court Two, where Magistrate Ann McLennan scheduled a continuance for November 21.
