Poor decisions by the Minnis government have resulted in record unemployment.
Now, police are cracking down on people who have to hustle to make ends meet due to those decisions.
Police arrested Claudette Grant on August 1 after officers saw customers leaving her home at Bishop’s Way with drinks.
They arrested her for operating a business without a license and seized the drinks and snacks she had for sale.
Grant, 57, appeared in court today and pleaded guilty.
She told Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes that she sold snacks and beverages to help pay her rent. She told the court that her entire household was out of work.
Magistrate Forbes said that he was sympathetic to her plight, and others who have fallen on hard times. However, he said that the country’s laws applied to everyone.
He said, “If you make a determination that you break the law because you need to make money, that’s a justification for anything, so the court cannot find that as a legitimate excuse.”
The magistrate didn’t impose
the maximum fine of $5,000. Instead, Magistrate Forbes fined her $500 or one month.
Magistrate Forbes ordered police to distribute the confiscated goods to charity.
Grant didn’t have all the money. She paid $200 and has until the end of the month to pay off her balance.