Horse attacks villagers and woman fined for the offence
There was a peculiar case today when the Public Health Department took a woman from Gales Point Manatee Village to court for allowing two horses to roam and attack people. Ursula Andrewin is not the owner of the horses, but was found guilty and was fined fifty dollars. If she does not pay, she will spend two months in prison. The magistrate also ordered her to remove the nuisances, or she will have to pay a fine of ten dollars for each day they are allowed in the community. The case followed a report that villagers made in April of this year to the Public Health Authority. Senior Public Health Inspector, Mark Bernard, said that after the first complaint, Andrewin was told to keep the horse in an enclosure but she failed to comply. But while Bernard is pleased with the court results, Andrewin told us that she was wrongly convicted because the horses are not hers.
Ursula Andrewin, Convicted of Allowing a Nuisance to Roam
“I was convicted wrongfully because I don’t own any horse and all weh I have to do, go and tell my son, the owner of the horse, what the court rule. Sometimes my two foot swell up, my two knee, my ankle, swell up so bad that I can’t even walk around. I usually walk with a cane but God is so good and great and help me so that I noh walk wid di cane right now.”
Anita Nembhard, Freelance Court Reporter
“So where is the horse right now? Is it in any enclosure?”
Ursula Andrewin
“The horse is in Gales Point. We have a fence for the horse but sometimes when we think that they are not getting sufficient grass in the fence, my son would ah take them out and tie them out eena di area because di are dat we deh dah wah big area so he could always move them from side to side. My neighbour never complain to me bout the horse but maybe dehn would ah tell my son because di horse belong to my son. So weh deh wouldn’t tell me, dehn would ah tell my son weh di horse belongs to. And Mr. Bernard know dat di horse dah fi me cause when he come dah my house I explain to he and tell he dat di horse is not for me. He went to Belize and couple weeks afta, he call me back again pan di phone and tell me ih wah ker me dah court concerning di horse. I seh Mr. Bernard if yoh ker me dah court concerning di horse yoh wah lose because yoh know I noh own no horse. Ih seh ih noh care because ih seh ih still wah ker me dah court.”
Mark Bernard, Sr. Public Health Officer
“We received quite a few complaints about the animal.”
Anita Nembhard
“Is this the first time a case like this ever came before the court?”
Mark Bernard
“Well, in the case of a horse, I believe so yeah. But there are also perhaps potential cases for dogs; people having dogs that are not properly fenced or chained. She is to have the animal removed from the village or have the animal corralled effective today. In default of that, she is to pay a fine of ten dollars per day for which the nuisance exists.”
Andrewin must pay the fifty dollar fine by December thirty first.
