A man who produced a fake drivers licence to police during a routine check point stop was fined a total of $10,000 or two months in prison, when he appeared in the St. Ann’s Bay Resident Magistrates court last Thursday, November 6. Charged with having no drivers licence, no insurance coverage and making a false declaration is Ricardo Blake. The man appeared before RM Andrea Thomas where he pleaded guilty to the charges. He was fine $8,000 or two months for having no driver’s licence and $2,000 or 21 days for having no insurance coverage. He is to return to court on December 8 when he will be sentenced in relation to making the false declaration.RM Thomas has ordered a social enquiry report on the accused ahead of his sentencing. The court was told last Thursday that a vehicle which was being driven by Blake was stopped during a routine police check. He reportedly produced a driver’s licence to the police which aroused their suspicion. The police said when they made enquiries of the driver’s licence with the authorities in Kingston it was revealed that Blake was not the holder of a driver’s licence. He was arrested and charged.
In court Blake told the magistrate that he got the driver’s licence through a friend in Kingston. Questioned by the RM about the friend and where he went to have the licence done, the accused said the friend was referred to him by somebody else and that he didn’t know where the friend got the licence.Pressed further for answers, the accused told the magistrate that he went to meet the friend in Spanish Town where he collected the licence. He told the magistrate that he didn’t really know the person who got him the licence or where the person lives.He also told the court that he was driving a vehicle which he borrowed from a friend and that his friend borrowed the said vehicle from another friend. RM Thomas said the police should investigate further to see if there were other persons involved in a fake driver’s licence scheme.The magistrate also warned the accused that if he fails to show up on his court date, a warrant will be ordered for his arrest.
