Man Charged Under Police Dispersal Act
In Magistrates Court this morning [Sept 14], while leaving the Court to go to the cells below, 36-year-old Vernon Symonds of White Hill Lane Sandy’s, shouted “F%$k you” to the Senior Magistrate.
This happened after Mr Symonds had been remanded into custody until his trial, in five days time, on 19th September. Mr Symonds is the first person to be charged under the new order that allows police to order the dispersal of groups who congregate in certain areas.
Mr Symonds was charged with refusing to comply with lawful instructions given by a Police officer and the charge was laid under Section 110(c) (2) of the Summary Offences Act. Mr Symonds was also charged with using offensive words to a Police officer. Both offences were alleged to have occurred on 13th September near the Maxi Mart in Sandys.
The Senior Magistrate rejected lawyer Marc Daniels request that Mr Symonds should be allowed to go free on bail.
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ok um a lil confused here. what did he do wrong to land him in court in the first place?
What!!! Can you not read??!!!
i personally think this new law is stupid cause if its meant for groups where the hell r the others… did u arrest him because he was in the area alone? and if a church was to congregate in the same spot… would u arrest its members… nobosy knows what these young man are talkin about while standing there and until bermuda gets something for these young ppl to do instead of speading text payers money locking up everybody and their sisters put some money into the youth of bermuda. they are our future and your discouraging them from young. they cant go nowhere or do anything innocent with friends cause they are being harrassed by the bps, but those that are shooters and robbers you cant seem to charge. gtfohwtbs
Although this law may not be the best thing, it has cut down on all the groups loitering all over the island and i feel safer having my child walking through these areas and not having to worry about what they could attempt to do or get my child to do!
As far as finding something for them to do, you have no clue if they choose to work or not to work. If you want something you are taught to go out and get it not have it handed to you which seems to be a lot of peoples mentalities and they need to get over it!
I can’t believe there are still people on this island in 2012 who think its easy for these young men and boys to get up off the wall walk into a place of business and get a job. How old is your child to be walking in these area’s?? And to date I haven’t heard about any of these guys poking with a child, but u would trust your child to go to the Fire station and learn something…..Bad people come in all forms. You are probably a person who worked hard but still inherited your house. Its not easy for this generation out here because the previous generation wrote us off. You have a life? Well why dnt you help smbdy else selfish
I…. Think .. You’re absolutely Right .. ! Thank you for expressing .
Make these guys lives miserable. Hound them. Get them off the streets.
Um I’m a bit slow so please help me out here……why are they on this wall which they can’t easily get up off again?
He’s 36 – he should by now have the ability to find himself something to do and not rely on Bermuda to “get something for these young ppl to do”. It’s not so much congregating that is illegal, but refusing to move on when requested to do so by the police. So maybe the rest of his group moved on. I do not know Mr Symonds or whether he has a home, but instead of allegedly hanging around in public areas not meant for the purpose, go home, wash dishes, do the laundry, read to the kids (if you have them), mow the lawn. There is plenty to do!!!!
Sales of single bottles of beer from MaxiMart are going to take a nose dive now…..
glad you bought that up! they need to ban the sales of single beers and miniatures throughout the city, because this loitering situation is out of control. Arnold’s is profiting @ the expense of the city.
idiot, then they will buy a six pack or a bottle. So they would have to then beg people for money to afford it and be more of a nuisance..in any event you should know that this guy lives one block over from the wall where he was sitting. scary that the police can do this.
Ok!! Here me out no I don’t condone the sitting on the wall thing. But even though he is 36 years old who are we to judge why he is not working. The problem in bermuda is people take to much time trying to figure out things that they may not be to sure of and run with the mouth. On the other hand how you know he is not one of the people who have being layed off, redundant, just came back from school, etc.. I have a situation where my son has graduated has cerificates but because of a Terminal Illness this country will not hire him because he is a pre-exisiting and was bought into this world with this condition. So point is this before we start putting down people lets ask the BPS what can they do to help the solution. Like offering them to clean up the railway trails since no-one else is doing it try to give them a hussle for a few dollars. That will help instead of trying to CONTROL PEOPLE.
If he was alone on the wall then he isn’t a group if the others disperse!How can a single person be charged under a group offence? sitting on a wall alone is not an offence? There are laws being made that are deliberately targetting certain groups of individuals and may have longlasting affects..
This is so true. Why dont they invest in the youths. Build a tech school.there is so much I want to say rite now!
they are drug runners and lookouts that why they are standing there!
*nobody *spending sorry thats what happens when you type out of anger
Wow! I thought they had done away with the “wandering abroad” law…. hmmmm…..
My understanding of this law is that if the police ask you to move on, and you do, no harm no foul. If however, like this young man, you refuse to move on, and even worse, curse at the police, then you get arrested. If you then, like this young hot-head, curse the magistrate, you will probably get a custodial sentence.
This law is just another inconsistency to add to the courts of Bermuda. The law (I thought) had to do with groups as stated above. So he’s remanded in jail for a week while people bring in drugs and get bail or attack people and receive bail as well. The courts are a joke. BPS is a joke 2
Then you need to read the Act, it’s pretty simple.
http://www.bermudalaws.bm/Laws/Consolidated%20Laws/Criminal%20Code%20Act%201907.pdf
Powers under section 110A: supplemental
A direction under section 110A(6)—
may be given orally;
may be given to an individual or to two or more persons together; and
may be withdrawn or varied by the person who gave it.
A person who refuses to comply with a direction given to him by a police officer
under section 110A(6) or resists removal by a police officer under section 110A(8), commits
an offence and is liable on summary conviction
Potty Mouth , needs Orbits .
what I dont understand is that the public cries out for the police to do their job, and when they are given certain powers to exersise them,
we cry foul, why dont we just let people do what ever they like and see
what type of lawless society we be come reverting back to the wild wild west, no pun intented
I agree fully! Then they say bring in Police Officers from US or London to get tough on these guys but when they come, the first time an officer goes upside one of these idiots head , they will say they are being to heavy handed. This is the same damn plight of the officers that in Bermuda now. Ask them to be tough and then the officers end up either on charge or in court.SMH
exactly what im saying! This island is full of a lot of confused and stupid people. They want to wait until he does something and then they will be the first to say well why wasn’t anything done about this before now! dumb
what you alldont seem to understand his a public pain in the a$$.So dont feel sorry for him. Just wait an see what his going to trail for he may not be shooting people but his just as bad. he is know to be rude with his mouth so tha GOD white hill has some peace from him.
I don’t give a rats a$$ if he’s a public pain that’s not what he was arrested for. This new law is turning this island into a Police State. Some of those people sitting around do have jobs. Its one of the stupid things that has come out of these idiots who make the laws. And then you remand him in custody for that. LMAO!!! I can see if they were causing a disturbance but this report does not say that. If the NYPD locked up every person that swore at them they will need to build bigger jails…
I like the fact the police are harrassing these idiots. I want to see more of it. Make their lives miserable.
What i don’t get is that’s his neighborhood. From what i remember of seeing the dispersal area it seemed to cover almost all of White Hill. Is he supposed to stay inside his house? I mean i guess your yard but then again I’ve been told by police that my yard isn’t my yard before so you never know.
like i said wait an see what his on trail for an you will change ya comment
What happened to the dozens of thugs hanging on Court Street in front of
businesses.. What because it is Court Street it is exempt .
5 days is not nearly enough time for an attitude adjustment. Keep up the good work BPS. If they fail the attitude test,lock them up.
Anyone see the 77year old woman in Texas on the news tonight who was dragged out of her car for failure to comply with LEO instructions. It started as a simple speeding stop.
Don’t mess with a Texas Trooper.
So basicaly if your waiting for a lift or just sitting on the road side (alone) and are told to move by police!!! You have to??WTF where they do that at!!!Next its going to be “CURFEWS”and age doesn’t matter.Tell them cops go around court street and do that,they been sitting there as long as I can remember.Now they have CCTV out there and still the hang!!!I can’t tell murders/BnEs/Assualts all left unsolved but they worry about men sitting alone on the roadside.Is he a gang member?No I don’t it so what was the point of arrest.Maybe they should arrest the Taxi drivers who hang on front street,or the Portugese guys that hang in numbers at ALL the gas stations.
none of those guys are waiting for a lift..they sit out at the road all dam day and quite a few of them and rude and harrass people including the workers at arnolds. you dont need to be sitting out at the road for over 12 hours every single day of the week to wait for a lift. (used to work there so i know).
CLEAN UP TOWN—-MIDDLE TOWN—-COURT STREET—–FRISWELLS HILL—-Put them Killers/Rapists/Robbers/Thiefs/DrugDealers/TroubleMakers away—–oh ya they can’t cause they work for the — just like Yankee
This is interesting. The area he was arrested was across from White Hill field(Somerset Bridge Club), which is also the neighbourhood of the Minister of Enviroment who is the President of Somerset Bridge Club. Rather than worry about disrupting a quiet Warwick neighbourhood why dont he find something in the area to do for his “brethren” up there. After all that is were and who is Parliamentary colleagues will influence for their vote.
Every just Assumes that because youung people decide to sit somwhere and talk they must be gaang related.when did talking with friends become illegal.Just be truthful to people and let them know that you have to jusify paying the Po_Po who can’t solve crimes.Spending excess dollars to clean streets while you have killers walking freely.Something is wrong here.
If we as a people would only take the time to sit down and listen and talk to the youth to get to the core of what is ailing them that might prevent a lot of unnecessary laws. (I remember when I was a youth I and lots and lots of guys would sit out on White Hill Wall and we would be discussing things both good and bad, some of us still communicate up until today, some of us now have businesses – others don’t, but had such a stringent law been in place back then, these connections may not have been able to happen )so lets consider alternatives prior to creating such laws. I personally speak to this young man every time I see him – and we always have a little chat, yes and he has told me his ‘STORY’, and he has never been disrespectful to me. TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN TO THE YOUTH BECAUSE THEY/WE ALL HAVE A ‘STORY’
I’d like to think that the police aren’t randomly harrassing random individuals on the side of the road “waiting for a lift” as some have mentioned. Otherwise, there would be a ton more people before the courts. This article states nothing about him being alone…perhaps he was just the only one who refused to disperse when requested AS PER THE LAW. So please don’t read into something that is not there. As for a police state, we are hardly at that point (but maybe need to be a little closer to being one?). As far as this 36 year old, he curses off the police and then curses off the magistrate…and this is excusable why? Don’t know the guy, but you can normally tell the type of tree by its fruit. And since he is insistent upon acting like a child, at his age, with his foul mouth, his mama needs to come upside his head!
What funny is you all aint getting the picture he was told to move twice the third time he got smart if u read the royalgazette you will see how he was acting. An if you know him you will understand how rude he is or better yet google his name an you will see the type of person he is
Stop calling him a young man. He’s 36 as stated.Clearly, he is at least guilty of profanity (who on their right mind says “F you” to a Magistrate). Sigh…..
Stop calling him a young man. He’s 36 as stated.Clearly, he is at least guilty of profanity (who in their right mind says “F you” to a Magistrate). Sigh…..
Not intersted just another pokey bermudian, trying to bring down someone. Is your closet clean what is your name. An no I don’t know
this person just trying to prove a point bermudians love to chat chat chat.
why the police dont do this in town that’s where the most is happening,
ie. court street Spanish point you see a lot of trouble maker gathered
This is for everyone that think he came from a bad tree.He is my oldest son an the worst of 5 children.He is a disrespectful,rude,lazy,person. If he would stop his dumb crap an go get a job an stop hanging around the road like he has nothing better to do.He wouldn’t be getting in trouble. Asking him to do anything around the house is like asking a dog not to bark.So for all of you that think he can do no wrong just wait an see what his on trail for then you will see the rat that i have to put up with as a lazy son.So for him cursing at the judge an police i hope he get a good length of jail time that might straight him out.An for the person that says i should go upside his head its been done an it does not work its a waste of time.
“Asking him to do anything around the house is like asking a dog not to bark.” LOL
Hunter seems to have an issue with the person in question…EVERY posts of his/hers refers to just wait till you see what it’s for…we got it the first time!!!!….with that said…the burning question is.” Why haven’t they dispersed the PSC Crew as yet? They are the largest group of individuals that hangout on the roadside and are there EVERY SINGLE DAY….! As far as those saying they are disrespected than I guess it’s who you are..I HAVE NEVER been disrespected..I am always greeted with “morning or good afternoon moms”…Some of these young men are not bad at all and for those that have stated that they need to get up and look for a job how do you know that they haven’t? you all know for a fact that there are not many jobs out there because if there were there wouldn’t be over 2000 people unemployed and people will not be laid off or being made redundant. If YOU know of any jobs why don’t YOU do the neighbourly thing and let them know that so and so is hiring instead of constantly beating them down.
Cause PrickSide are a form of informants that took over after Yankee died,they walking in his shoes protected by the law and surrounded by CCTV heeeellllluurrr yeeeaahh yeeeeaahh
i wonder if it was a couple of white boys would it still be a crime
i go pass that place every day and i see that some one was thoughtful enough to put a bench out there. so now the person who s[ent money to help out his friends or mates is now being told that no can hang out out there its not a wall they hang out on its a bench so stop harrasing them and let them sit on a bench.