Shellon Hopkinson, a young pregnant mother of one, was reduced to tears yesterday after being informed by city magistrate Judy Latchman that she will be spending the next 48 months of her life behind bars for trafficking marijuana.
Additionally, Hopkinson, 21, was ordered to pay a fine of $385,000, representing three times the street value of the 257 grammes of cannabis that he had been found with.
Hopkinson, who is four months and two weeks pregnant, had pleaded not guilty to the charge that she had the drug in her possession for the purpose of trafficking at her Lot 55 Middle Street, McDoom, East Bank Demerara, home on August 22.
In handing down the sentence at the conclusion of the woman’s trial, the magistrate explained that the prosecution had discharged its burden of proof, saying the drug was found to have been in Hopkinson’s custody, care and control.
Magistrate Latchman detailed also that she found Hopkinson’s oral confession to police that she had bought the drug “fuh hustle” to have been given freely and voluntarily and as a result the court would not have exercised its exclusionary discretion in this regard.
The court heard that after being questioned about the drug, the woman responded, “Ow officer, give meh a chance. Ah got a lil child and meh husband deh in jail and I buy lil weed fuh hustle.”
The woman was moved to tears after hearing that the court had found her guilty as charged.
In imposing penalty, the magistrate stressed that the offence is serious and prevalent and that there is a need to deter potential offenders.
Magistrate Latchman said too that the court took into account the street value of the substance being $128,500 but that Hopkinson would be fined $385,000; three times the value for the amount she was found trafficking.
It was the police’s case that a search by lawmen unearthed the cannabis in the woman’s bedroom in a transparent bag.
Prosecutor Joel Ricknauth had told the court at her arraignment that Hopkinson and her three-year-old son were the only ones in the house at the time the drug was discovered.
However, Hopkinson’s then lawyer George Thomas, during a bail application, had told the court that his client lives in the house with four other persons, including her spouse.
Counsel had also argued also that the illegal substance was found in a general area and that Hopkinson had no knowledge that it was in the house.
Ricknauth had, however, interjected informing the magistrate that it was Hopkinson who had told the police that no one lived in the house, save for herself and son.
