43-Yr-Old Man Fined For Cannabis Resin
In Magistrates Court this morning [May 5], 43-year old Swayne Gibbons pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis resin. The charge stemmed from an arrest made after the Police had executed a search warrant at #1 Summit Drive, Hamilton Parish.
Originally Mr Gibbons had been charged along with another man, however Magistrate Archie Warner discharged the charges against the second man.
The original charge had been that the act of possession was in an Increased Penalty Zone [IPZ]. However the Magistrate noted that the charge seemed to relate to possession within a residence and questioned the correctness of the IPZ element within the original charge. After a short discussion, the Prosecutor agreed to delete the IPZ component from the information and the charge fell to that of simple possession..
Before standing trial, Mr Gibbons had asked the Magistrate for a temporary adjournment so that he could arrange legal representation. Shortly after, Ms Elizabeth Christopher entered the Courtroom saying that she had agreed to appear as his lawyer.
Before sentencing, Mr Gibbons prior record was indicated and the Prosecutor said that he had drug convictions going back to 1998 and that he was currently on probation for a stealing offence committed in 2010.
Magistrate Warner asked Ms Christopher if she had anything to say on her client’s behalf. Ms Christopher replied that under the circumstances, a fine might be best. Magistrate Warner fined Mr Gibbons $1,000.
Asked for time to pay, Mr Warner said that the Court must be paid before the lawyer was paid. To this, Ms Christopher replied that in this particular matter, her work was ‘pro bono’.
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