Union Island man says weed in Court not his

“Thank you very much for charging me with less,” said a self-proclaimed honest man who claimed to be charged with different weed, and less weed than he was nabbed with, when he appeared in court.

Yesterday Ansel Allen, a 37-year-old diver of Clifton, Union Island, came before the Serious Offenses Court, among others in similar predicaments, charged with possession of cannabis.

However, unlike other defendants, charged with significantly greater quantities, Allen was charged with possession of 28g of the drug.A search by officers PC 679 Williams and PC 906 Pierre, on foot patrol near Clifton Bay, Union Island, had apparently resulted in the find of a bag containing tobacco and another white bag containing wrapped balls.

Allen then apparently began to wrestle with the Officers, who arrested him and took him to the Ashton Police Station.

Allen pleaded guilty to the offence of possession of weed before Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias, saying that he was guilty but “the exhibit in this courtroom is not the drug that was found on me.”

He was repeatedly asked if he wanted to change his plea, but the defendant refused.He explained that the plastic bag he had was ripped, and that the marijunana he had was wet and ripped, as he had been trying to destroy it.

“I plead guilty for it but…I take full responsibility for my actions, but the drug which is presented is not mine,” he stressed.“I had more than that…I had a couple more…,” after this he seemed to say pounds, but after this question was raised, he stated that he had a couple more balls.“Wet and more? And you get charged for less?” Browne-Matthias asked him.“Thank you very much for charging me with less,” the defendant ended, after he had been stressing his point about the different weed to the court for some time.

The tides turned in favour of the diver defendant who was given $100 as a fine, to be paid forthwith at first.

However, he successfully gained extra time by saying that there was no one in St Vincent to bail him.

He said that he had money in his account but didn’t have his ID or bank book.After standing the matter down for a while, the Chief Magistrate decided to give him until Wednesday to pay $100.

Allen continued to stress to the journalists outside the court that he just had to be honest, and that the weed in court was not his, and that the plastic bag it was in was not his.