From the Courts
May 27, 2005

Drunken man to pay for ‘bad words’

If there is anyone who should be grateful to Senior Magistrate Carl Joseph it is Cornelius Scott.

Scott was given a fine to pay instead of serving a five-month sentence after he appeared in the Kingstown Magistrate’s Courts charged with giving Police a wrong name and for using indecent language in the public.

On May 21, 2005 at Calliaqua, Cornelius Scott, while in the vicinity of the Calliaqua Police Station, within earshot was heard by police officers using foul language. The words used by Scott were “way alyo ah lock up the ‘f…’ people fah’.{{more}}

The police officers, hearing Scott’s language, asked him to behave himself, but he continued without acknowledging the officers, who were at the time in civilian clothes.

Scott was arrested and charged. He was then put on the bench at the Calliaqua Police Station and when asked his name gave the name Ronald Jack of Fountain, which turned out to be false.

The Kingstown Magistrate Court also heard that on January 16, 2004, Scott had been charged with wounding a person, name given only as Delroy of Glen.

Scott, after pleading guilty to the charges, said that he did not know the gentlemen who apprehended him were Police Officers, as they were in plain clothes. When asked the reason for giving the Officers a wrong name, Scott said ‘Me bin kind ah sweet out’[intoxicated].

Scott later claimed that the morning following the Friday night Culture Pot action, he did give the officers his correct name.

Carl Joseph the Senior Magistrate, in his deliberation, told Scott that regardless of who is around or wherever he was, he had no right to be conducting himself in that manner, especially in the general public.

“You have no respect for people; and then turn around and give the Police Officers wrong name? That is a 3 months sentence.”

Scott was charged $350 to be paid forthwith or 5 months in prison. Of that amount $150, was levied for the use of indecent language in the public or two months in jail, and for giving a false name, $200 or three months imprisonment.