The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A HAITIAN man who admitted illegally migrating to the country to secure a better way of life was yesterday sentenced to two months in prison.

Jean Roody was arrested after he was found in New Providence on June 9, having landed in the country without the permission of an immigration officer.

He pleaded guilty during his hearing before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans.

The court was told that immigration officers were conducting status checks in the Augusta Street area when they went to an apartment building. While at the complex, they found Roody sleeping in one of the units and asked him if he could show proof of his legal status. The prosecution said when he was unable to, he was cautioned and taken to the Carmichael Road Detention Centre for further processing.

The court was told that when Roody was interviewed in custody, he said he had travelled illegally by boat to The Bahamas in January.

A check of the border control management system also confirmed the accused did not enter The Bahamas legally and verified he did not make any attempts to regulate his status after his arrival.

During the hearing, Roody, speaking through an interpreter, told the magistrate that he never applied for status in the country because he couldn’t find anybody to sign for him. He also said his father was crippled and his mother was dead, so he came to The Bahamas “looking for a better life”.

After listening to his explanation, Magistrate Vogt-Evans accepted his guilty plea and sentenced him to two months in prison. She said the country had to protect its borders “especially in these COVID times”.

“Much economic loss has occurred as a result of the pandemic and much cost has gone into provisions of a vaccine in order to bring some normalcy back to Bahamian life,” she said.

“Unknown aliens entering the country undocumented have a greater potential to increase the risk of further infection and longer COVID restrictions.”