A lawyer was among three people who appeared in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates' Court yesterday charged with breaching the curfew imposed with the ongoing state of emergency in T&T. Stephen Maharaj, an attorney, was reprimanded and discharged after pleading guilty to the offence before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayres-Caesar. He was arrested by police while driving at around 10.10 pm on Wednesday night in Maraval. Maharaj told the court he was having domestic problems and left his Long Circular Road home to cool off.
He also was charged for not being in possession of his driver's permit and insurance. He was granted his own bail in the sum of $20,000 for the driving offences. Rondell La Chapelle, 22, of Laventille, also escaped punishment for breaking the curfew after he was caught by police at 10.20 pm on Wednesday near his home filling a barrel with water to bathe. In reprimanding and discharging La Chapelle, Ayres-Caesar advised him to bathe earlier in the night to avoid being charged again.
Meanwhile, Shastri Lalwah, of St Ann's, was not as lucky after he was fined $500 for the offence.
Lalwah was caught by Port-of-Spain CID officers on the Brian Lara Promenade, Port-of-Spain, at 1.10 am yesterday morning. He was intoxicated at the time and was attempting to get to his girlfriend's house. The charge was laid by PC Smith.