Proviso law spares drug trafficking convict from going to jail
A proviso in the law allowed a magistrate to use her discretion to impose a non-custodial sentence on a man with a previous drug trafficking conviction. Andrew Burke and his common law wife, Shian Ireland, were found in the possession of just over nine ounces of weed. Burke pleaded not guilty but was spared from going to jail and has until June eighth to pay a two thousand dollar fine for drug trafficking. On Wednesday, police conducted a search of the couple’s home located on Ring Road where they found CD cases containing the marijuana placed on the couple’s television stand. Burke and Ireland were both arrested and escorted to the Queen Street Police Station. Magistrate Aretha Ford accepted Burke’s guilty plea and instead of sending him to jail, she imposed a fine of two thousand dollars. The charge of drug trafficking was withdrawn against Ireland after Burke took the rap.
how the law defines magistrate’s DISCRETION???
what kind and amount of drug goes under this Previso law???
I BELIEVE THAT ONCE CAUGHT IN POSSESSION WITH DRUGS…NO PLEA SHOULD BE TAKEN….
OR REFORM THE THEME OF LAW ON DRUG MATTERS: you are guilty until proven innocent
and not innocent until proven guilty which is not functioning in Belize judicial system
What a waste of time.
if the government legalized marijuana they could actually save a lot money, and your crime rate would decrease.
amazing how they always know where to search. I wonder which police ended up with some free marijuana sticks?
Better Belize, it is unconstitutional to give a scentence in court based on circumstancial evidence. The court must first bring it’s case to the individual and allow the individual to dispute his or her case. A person does not automatically loose his or her human rights just because he or she commited a crime and it says so in the constitution that all are protected under the constitutional provisions of the written legislature. Also if we give a charge like that for drugs/have no hearing for drug crimes, the Caribbean Court of Justice as well as the Privy Council would not let it fly. Just think about this too what if someone planted weed in your house and called the police?, or if you went to visit someone and the police busted in and found weed in their house?
I want to see people go to jail for their wrong doings too, but we must do it the right way if we want to see them serve out their prison scentence punishment.