A murder accused prisoner was sentenced to three years in jail yesterday after admitting to the ownership of cannabis found in his food at the Camp Street Prison.
“Man, it ain’t mek sense I waste de court time. It’s mine. I’m guilty,” Odel Roberts, 23, told Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court Five.
In addition to serving the three years, Roberts, 23, has also been ordered to pay a $30,000 fine.
The charge against him stated that on July 3rd, at the Camp Street Prison in Georgetown, he had 102 grammes of cannabis in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.
According to Prosecutor Seon Blackman, Roberts was taken to Georgetown Public Hospital to seek medical attention and while there his relatives reportedly brought food for him. Upon his return to the prison, a search was conducted on his person. The food, which was identified as fried rice, was also checked and a quantity of seeds, leaves and stems, suspected to be cannabis, was found.
Roberts initially claimed that he was framed by the prison officers and denied knowledge of the cannabis, which he said was found in a food box brought by one of his relatives. Subsequently, the magistrate told him that she would be forced to enter a not guilty plea based on his explanations. Despite his denials, Roberts, however, maintained his guilty plea and was sentenced.
Roberts is awaiting trial for the murder of Sophia businessman Shawn Anys, who was killed on May 1st, 2015, at ‘D’ Field, Sophia, during the course of a robbery.
