‘Turtle’ must shell out $300 for deception

Philmore ‘Turtle’ Ralph was fined $300 for committing an act of deception on September 7, 2005.

Last Monday at the Magistrate Court in Kingstown, Ralph appeared before Senior Magistrate Carl Joseph where he was fined $250 to be paid by July 7 or in default spend 3 months in jail. He was also ordered to pay $50 compensation.{{more}}

Ralph, a mini van conductor of Fair Hall, was charged for unlawfully obtaining $50 from Janel Baptiste, a clerk at a Lotto booth in Little Tokyo.

Baptiste said she was in the booth around 7:20 p.m. carrying on business as usual. Ralph was part of a queue of persons waiting to be served. She said when it was his turn, he presented her with a Scratchy ticket with some Three D (3D) numbers written on the back. Baptiste said she punched in the Three D numbers and gave him a ticket. She also said she returned the Scratchy ticket, on which he had written the Three D numbers. “All I could hear him say is, I win Scratchy,” Baptiste added that upon hearing him say this, she did not check the ticket and gave him winnings of $50.

The following day, when she checked over the ticket that Ralph presented, she realised that the numbers did not correspond. She said she immediately contacted the Lottery offices and informed them of what had transpired. Baptiste also reported the matter to the police.

In his own defence, Ralph said he frequently purchased Three D tickets from that booth. On the said date, Ralph said he went to buy tickets for his favourite game when he presented Baptiste with the Scratchy ticket with his numbers for Three D. He said he had won $450 on the Three D tickets he bought. “I do not know anything about Scratchy, I don’t even know how it dus play, I never collected no fifty dollars” said Ralph.

“I do not believe a word you say, you knowingly committed the act,” said Magistrate Joseph.