Litterbug jailed for escaping police custody during “blackout”

Apr 23, 2014 News

A litterbug, who admitted to using a power outage to jump through a window and escape custody, was yesterday sentenced to one year imprisonment when he was taken before Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond.

Nazir Hussein (centre) being escorted

The Georgetown Magistrates’ Court yesterday heard that Nazir Hussein, 35, who escaped and was recaptured by a city constabulary rank was attempting to evade a charge of unlawfully depositing waste (littering).
According to the City Constabulary, on April 16 at Stabroek Tarmac, Georgetown (a public place) he deposited waste. The said date, whilst in custody at the City Constabulary Inquiry Office, he escaped from Lance Corporal Nicola Yhap.
Hussein, who provided the court with no fixed place of abode, admitted to both misdemeanors and told the Magistrate that he regretted his actions.
The Prosecution was led by City Constabulary Corporal James Garnett who explained that about 18:40 hours on April 16, Hussein was in custody at City Constabulary after being caught littering.
At the time, he explained, Corporal Yhap was the officer in charge of that shift. Hussein was amongst four others on the prisoners’ bench when there was a power outage.
“Your worship, he seized that opportunity to run from the bench and jump through the window. He ran north in the City Hall compound but noticed a Constable on Regent Street and turned around to run in the opposite direction.”
“By that time, Corporal Yhap who was alerted by a detainee on the bench, managed to apprehend him in the vicinity of the Mayor’s office. He was rearrested, subsequently placed in safer custody and charged for the offence.”
When presented with the Prosecution’s facts, Hussein told Magistrate Chandan-Edmond “I sorry fuh wha I do. I de too frustrated. I never really been in lock up and dem ting that’s why my worship. I begging you for mercy.”
In response, the Magistrate informed him that the offence of escape from lawful custody carried a one to three-year prison sentence and that she considered all the factors; both the mitigating and aggravating factors.
She stated that the court would impose the minimum sentence and he was given a one year jail term. He was also fined $12,000 for littering with an alternate of one month imprisonment.