An Arnos Vale man who was recently caught riding an unregistered motorcycle and using a fraudulent Identification Mark, narrowly escaped prison time when he appeared in Court last week.
Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne told the defendant, Macatulio Findlay, that the only reason she was not sending him to prison was because it was his first offence.
Findlay also received a one-third discount on his sentence for his early guilty plea.
Findlay was fined $1,100 for fraudulently using Identification Mark PX33 on the motorcycle, $600 for riding it without it being registered, $300 for riding it without being the holder of a driver’s permit to drive that class of vehicle, and $500 for driving without insurance.
Findlay had pleaded guilty to all four charges. He was initially ordered to pay the fines forthwith, but this publication understand that he was subsequently allowed time to make the payments.
The facts revealed that on April 18, Constable 371 Jackson was on traffic duty at the Richmond Hill public road when he observed what is commonly called a dirt bike, driven by Findlay, coming in his (Jackson) direction, from Murray’s Road.
PC Jackson observed that the motorcycle did not have a front registration plate and signaled the rider to stop. He complied/ The officer approached and questioned him about the registration plate. Findlay said the plate was on the back of the vehicle. When Jackson went to the back, he noticed the number to be PX33. The officer made checks at the Traffic Department and discovered that PX33 was registered to a Silva Mazda Demio car. As a result, Findlay was detained on inquiries and further investigations were carried out. Jackson retrieved the chassis number from the motorcycle and ran it through the system revealing that the bike was not registered. Inquiries also revealed that he did not have a permit to drive that class vehicle.
Findlay told the Court that someone had brought the motorcycle for him to do some work on it.
The Chief Magistrate pointed out the seriousness of the charges to Jackson particularly stressing the driving of an unregistered vehicle and the use of a fraudulent Identification Mark.
“Anybody doing that is capable of creating and doing bigger acts”, she told Findlay and advised him to work for what he doesn’t have, instead of using dishonest means.
Sergeant 444 Kenny Jones told the Court, on inquiries from the Magistrate, that the motorcycle was in police custody.
“Make the owner come for the bike, and bring the particulars of registration for you all,” the Magistrate told the police.
She also voiced indignation about the noise motorcycles were making while being driven on the streets, something about which many Vincentians have been complaining.
Up to press time Thursday, the motorcycle was still in police custody.
Source :THE VINCENTIAN