THE MAN ACCUSED of deceiving three persons of cash amounting to more than $90,000, was sentenced in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
Marlon Howard, 37, was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment at hard labour on each of the four counts of obtaining money by false pretence. He will, however, serve only a year as the sentences will run concurrently.
The facts of the case are that Howard, from Greater Portmore, St. Catherine, placed an ad in the print media, encouraging persons to apply for housekeeping and babysitting jobs in the Cayman Islands. The complainants reportedly made the necessary payments but when they attempted to finalise their plans, they could not locate Howard. He had reportedly told them that his sister in the Cayman Islands was doing the transactions on his behalf.
After several failed appeals, Howard was granted bail on November 11, with the condition that he would return with the complainants' money. He, however, failed to do this and when he appeared in court on Wednesday, he begged RM Martin Gayle for more time, explaining that all his attempts to source the money had proven futile.
RM Gayle, however, obviously frustrated with Howard's repeated failure to deliver, handed down the sentence saying, "You were given all the opportunity to pay the money and you have not paid one cent."
Even as he was being led away, Howard told the court that he had the money to pay and that he wanted to repay the complainants.
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