Court Administration Division Refutes 200k DRMA Teen Fine

The Court Administration Division, (CAD) has refuted claims of a 17-year-old St. Thomas boy being fined two hundred thousand dollars for allegedly failing to wear a mask in public.

A video of the woman believed to be the boy’s mother has been garnering public attention and indignation as persons accuse the Government of having double standards; among them an Opposition Senator.

Acting Director of Client Services, Communications, and Information at the Court Administration Division, Kadiesh Fletcher, says the claim made in the video is false.

She says the minor in question, was charged for breaches of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) and brought before the St. Thomas Parish Court as an adult.

However, she says when his age was brought to the attention of the judge, he was admonished and the matter transferred to the children’s court, where he was to appear on Thursday, September 23, 2021.

Fletcher adds that all other children who were charged with adults for breaches of the DRMA were admonished and discharged. Prior to the Judiciary’s response, Opposition Leader Mark Golding described the fine as the kind of injustice that could push the Jamaican society over the edge.

He also urged National Security Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Horace Chang to look into the matter.

Opposition Senator Lambert Brown had also addressed the fine, in responding to a tweet alluding to a video which led to the resignation of former Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Floyd Green; Brown noted quote “they too were not wearing a mask. Double standards abound in this land. Champagne drinkers vs teaspoon of sugar buyers. This is a dangerous government.”

A week ago, the prime minister told the media that he had referred the video to the police to determine further actions to be taken. Head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Corporate Communications Unit, Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay on Thursday refrained from commenting on the matter.

More in this CVM Live story from Aladden Love: