News

Fine or jail for forging passport

By TASHIEKA MAIR, STAR Writer

western bureau

A 31-YEAR-OLD KINGSTONIAN, Orville Barker, who pleaded guilty to uttering a forged document was fined $80,000 or jail time, when he appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Barker is accused of trying to leave Jamaica for England on Wednesday using a passport with the name Sean Burrell Edwards. He was arrested and charged after confessing to immigration officers that the only thing that belonged to him was the picture in the passport.

TRYING TO DO RIGHT THING

His attorney, Earnest Miller, told RM Wilson Smith that his client was trying to 'do the right thing the wrong way'. He asked the RM to be extremely lenient on his client, who was only trying to get to England because he was finding it hard to support himself and his family.

He also asked that RM Smith take into consideration the fact that Barker did not try to smuggle drugs as many other persons who get the opportunity to go to England usually do.

The RM reminded Mr. Miller that though persons often find the laws of our country to be unfair, we still need to uphold them. However, he said that he was satisfied with the fact that Barker did not choose to deal in drugs despite his financial constraints.

Barker was originally fined $90,000, but the fine was adjusted after the fervent pleas of Mr. Miller who informed the RM that Barker's sister had only $80,000 in her possession.