A 39-YEAR-OLD man appeared on Friday before a Chaguanas magistrate on several police warrants for owing his wife and their two children a total of $86,000 in outstanding maintenance.Appearing before senior magistrate Wendy Dougdeen-Bally, 14 charges were read to the man alleging that various sums of money were owed to the court since 2014.
The man was arrested and taken to court to explain why he should not be sent to jail.Attorney Taradath Singh told Dougdeen-Bally that the man works on a pig farm which earns him only enough money to feed himself. “He also lives on the pig-farm,” the attorney added.Dougdeen-Bally read out the sums of money he was owing, some for 52 weeks and amounting to various sums ranging from $3,000 to $14,000.
She told him warrants for each of the sums owing would result in the court sending him to jail for a considerable period.Singh intervened, “Your worship, I’ve spoken to him and he insists he cannot pay the money and is prepared to be sentenced today. He said he will do the time for the full $86,000 today.”His wife and one of their children were also in court.