After insisting on serving his country, a man sentenced to community service for stealing deodorant was on Monday allowed to act as a French language interpreter for a city court.
Ryan Hing, 38, pleaded guilty to the charge that on August 24th, at Bounty Supermarket on Regent Street, he stole two sticks of deodorant, valued $1,980, just moments before he volunteered to take the stand as an interpreter for the court.
Hing was quick to apologise for the crime. He stated, “I am sorry for stealing the deodorant. I know it was wrong.”
He added that he was deported from French Guiana after he served time for attempted murder. “I lived with my daughter and her mother in French Guiana and since arriving home (Guyana) I learned that my mother passed away and my brother sold my father’s house, so I don’t have anywhere to live,” he further said.
Hing, who noted that he had attended Queen’s College, also said that he was unable to get a job.
According to Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield, on the day in question, Hing was seen by security at Bounty Supermarket acting in a suspicious manner. He was approached and searched, the items were found on him. The police were called and he was arrested.
Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan ordered Hing to serve 80 hours of community service or an alternative of two weeks in prison. However, Hing’s time in court did not end there.
Another case involving a Haitian national was called soon after and the police prosecutors informed the magistrate that they were having problems procuring a French interpreter. Hing, who was still sitting in the prisoner’s dock, immediately informed the magistrate that he might be of assistance. “I went to Queen’s College and I was in class with Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus. I wrote CXC French, and was successful. I also lived in French Guiana where I spoke it every day and since the court has been so kind to me, I would like to give back my services to the country,” he told the court.
After careful deliberation, Hing was deemed competent to serve as an interpreter for the matter, which was dealt with at an in-camera hearing.
