I needed money to buy my daughter’s rabies medication, says man

Cannabis seemed the only option to one Diamond man, who said he was dogged by the pressures of having to buy his daughter’s rabies medication; but the court was having none of it.

Last Friday, 24-year-old Lenroy Mars/Baptiste pleaded guilty to having in his possession on January 11, 3,341g of cannabis, with intent to supply in the area of Happy Hill, Layou.

Uniformed officers of the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) and plain-clothes officers were said to have been carrying out a stop and search operation on the afternoon of this day and had stopped a blue omnibus travelling to Buccament. The defendant was reportedly seated in the back seat of the bus with a green duffel bag on his lap, which he was then seen pushing underneath the seat in front of him. When questioned by PC 615 Williams, Baptiste admitted to the bag being his and when a number of packages with cannabis were found inside of the bag, he also said, “Is weed in dey; ah fu me hussle to buy medicine.”

In mitigation for himself, the defendant began by saying that his mother was sick, his six-year-old daughter was sick with rabies and “me does take medication for epilepsy.” He continued that the “pressure does be too much,” when he gets a phone call from his baby’s mother.

Prosecutor Adolphus Delplesche then asked how much money he pays to support his daughter, to which he replied, “well according to how much me get,” and that he gave her $200 for the Christmas and bought her school stuff when she was going back to school.

The prosecutor rose in objection to the mitigation, saying that what his observation has been is that with regard to marijuana offences, the defence is always that their child is sick and that “is a piece of weed.”

Addressing the defendant, the prosecutor said, “Baby didn’t call and say come make me,” and advised him to show some responsibility, as he was a big man.

Following this, there were more questions for the defendant, the Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias saying, “I am particularly interested in what your daughter’s malady was – rabies?”

Baptiste again confirmed that it was rabies, but admitted he had not heard the diagnosis from a doctor.

The Chief Magistrate asked if he didn’t think to go to the district medical clinic, and after he stated that he couldn’t afford it, informed him, “that is free.” “Well, I didn’t know,” Baptiste replied.

The defendant also stated that he knew rabies to be a disease caught from dogs, when asked what he knew it to be.

“Rabies even here in St Vincent? I did not hear that,” said Matthias-Browne.

A sentence of six months in prison was handed down to Baptiste for his possession of the drug.