The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

THREE truck drivers accused of using dump trucks to block sections of West Bay Street close to Prime Minister Perry Christie’s home yesterday claimed they did so because they were hired to carry out a job.

Irving Walkes, 30, Jarvis Glinton, 28, and Wesley Mareus, 34, made the admission to Magistrate Andrew Forbes through their attorney Krysta Mason-Smith.

The three men were brought to court yesterday charged with obstruction and other traffic related offences.

However, Ms Mason-Smith did not expound on the claims because she said she was aware that the matter was still under investigation.

Magistrate Forbes said there was “no justification” for their actions regardless of their motive. The magistrate also questioned if allegedly being hired and paid to do such a job was worth potentially going to prison.

Their appearances before Magistrate Forbes yesterday afternoon came hours after dozens of Bahamas Maintenance and Allied Workers Union (BMAWU) members staged a protest on West Bay Street after officials at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort reportedly refused to discuss several ongoing labour disputes.

Several trucks and blocked traffic on West Bay Street near Sandals, which is also close to Mr Christie’s home, during the protest.

During yesterday’s proceedings, Ms Mason-Smith submitted that the three men, all of whom pleaded guilty to their respective charges, had no previous convictions and did not seek to waste the court’s time by entering not guilty pleas.

Ms Mason-Smith also submitted that via their guilty pleas, the men had accepted responsibility for their actions. She also submitted that they had been co-operative with police throughout and asked the magistrate to exercise leniency with the trio.

Magistrate Forbes reprimanded the men for their actions, charging that they did not make sense. He also said if the men were motivated to draw attention to the protest they succeeded, adding if they only acted for money that did not outweigh the potential trouble they would have gotten into as a result.

All three men were subsequently fined $250 for the obstruction charge and told they would each face three months in prison if they failed to pay.

Walkes was also convicted of and fined $1,000 for possession of forged documents - a licence disc and an inspection certificate from the Road Traffic Department, respectively. He was also fined a total of $450 for driving an unlicensed vehicle, failing to submit his vehicle for inspection and driving while not insured against third-party risk.

Glinton was fined $100 for driving a defective vehicle and faces one month’s imprisonment should he default on paying.

Mareus was fined $100 for driving a defective vehicle and another $250 for not being covered against third-party risk insurance.