A man who fabricated two piracy reports, causing police and coast guards to go out on the Corentyne in search of three `missing’ crew members was yesterday fined $20,000 or 40 days imprisonment at the New Amsterdam Court.
Jairam Michael, 48, known as Prahalad Persaud who gave his address as 51 Agricola Public Road, East Bank Demerara was charged with giving false information to police on October 29 and November 4 last.
Police Prosecutor, Sergeant Satrohan Dayaram argued that the man should face the full penalty as he had caused the officers to waste their resources to look for the ‘missing crew.’
He also said that the officer searched relentlessly in the “hot sun and without meals.” The police had told this newspaper that the man’s false reports had “created a lot of fear in the public and the fishing industry.”
Before sentencing Michael, Magistrate Geeta Chandan Persid-Edmond reprimanded him about his actions and said what he did was a “wicked deed.”
Michael who begged the magistrate to give him a chance said that he was drunk and did not realize what he was doing. He told her too that this was the first time he was involved in such actions.
The magistrate then sentenced him to $10,000 or an alternative of 20 days imprisonment for each offence which would run consecutively. She also expressed regret at the way the charge was made out because she was not able to deal with him more harshly.
After the sentence was passed, Michael who did not have anyone to pay the fine for him, kept smiling.
Reports are that he had made a report at the Rose Hall Police Outpost that he along with a three-member crew was attacked and robbed around 4 pm on Tuesday.
He said that he was rescued by another boat which was still moored at the Rose Hall foreshore while the crew was left to drift. However, police became suspicious after they visited the foreshore immediately and discovered that the boat was nowhere in sight.
When questioned, the man admitted that the report was false. He said that he and his friends had been drinking and he “get vex and decide fuh make the report.”
He related that he left the Meadow Bank Wharf on October 29 onboard a fishing vessel with three crew members to go to Suriname.
According to him, on his way back from Suriname a “blue and white boat” with four masked men, armed with guns and cutlasses pulled up alongside their boat and robbed them of a 48 hp Yamaha outboard engine valued $800,000.
One week ago the man had visited the Central Police Station in New Amsterdam and said that he along with a three-member crew comprising; ‘John,’ ‘Santo’ and ‘Raymond’ of Line Path, Skeldon were attacked by gunmen who were in a blue and white boat.
He had said that they were robbed of a 48 hp outboard engine and a quantity of fish and fish glue. According to him he had gotten assistance through a small fishing boat which brought him to shore while the men had been left to drift.
