A Guyhoc Park youth who pleaded guilty to cannabis possession has been given the opportunity by the Chief Magistrate to work in the police force as a means of turning his life around.
Joel Fabian, 18, an employee of Banks DIH Limited, had pleaded guilty to having 13 grammes of cannabis in his possession on March 4, at Stabroek Market.
He was ordered by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan to pay a fine of $30,000 and to work in the Guyana Police Force for two hours a day, four days a week. The alternative to this would be to spend three years in prison. The magistrate before giving her ruling stated that she was giving Fabian a chance to make a life.
According to the prosecution’s facts, on the day of the find, the defendant was seen acting suspiciously by city police on patrol at the Stabroek market area. A search was requested and when conducted, they uncovered a Ziploc bag placed in a sock that the defendant was holding in his hand.
Fabian said that he had bought the narcotics on his way home from work for his own use and did not intend to expose it. The drugs, he said, were to help him ease stress he is experiencing from the loss of his parents and the burden of providing for his child.
