A Princes Street man who admitted to damaging a door at the East La Penitence Police Station was ordered to undertake 14 days of community service when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
Calvin Francis of Lot 76 Princes Street, Lodge, was arraigned before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty and pleaded guilty to a charge that on September 18th, he damaged a panel door costing $22,995 at the East La Penitence Police Station, the property of the Guyana Police Force.
In addition to the damage of property charge, Francis was charged with conducting himself in a disorderly manner at the police station on the same day.
Francis told the court that on the day in question, he was asked by a “big woman” friend to go with her to the supermarket. He said that they took a taxi to go but never made it to the supermarket, and instead, the taxi drove to the East La Penitence Police Station. “I know she got, what we does say ‘bad oman’ family, so I thought it was one of them she just stop to see,” Francis said.
He then told the court that his friend, her granddaughter and the taxi driver exited the car and went into the police station. A few moments later, an officer walked past him and went to the gate, while another approached the vehicle and told him he was being arrested. He said he was very confused until he gathered, from what was being said, that the granddaughter, who is six years old, had told her grandmother that she was touched inappropriately by a man and the grandmother assumed it was him so she brought him to the station to have him arrested.
According to Francis, the allegation hurt his heart and that was why he behaved disorderly at the station. He also admitted that he kicked Inspector Boyce’s door while he was handcuffed to the wall. He did, however, request to have the door replaced and told the magistrate that he has two doors at home that he could replace the door with.
Francis was subsequently placed on 12 hours per day community service for 14 days at the East La Penitence Police Station after Police Prosecutor Seon Blackman informed the court that the door Francis was willing to replace the broken door with would not be accepted. The magistrate then asked Francis if he would be willing to pay for the door to be replaced or a fine and he explained to her that he would not be able to pay for either but would be willing to do the community service.
