Entertainers unhappy with traffic boss' decision in Benz case

August 21, 2019

Entertainers are among the many Jamaicans opposed to the leniency granted to Dennis Dietrih, the man purported to have been behind the wheel of a black Mercedes-Benz motor car doing stunts in a busy intersection.

Head of the police's Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch, Assistant Commissioner Bishop Dr Gary Welsh, released Dietrih without charge on Tuesday after he apologised for the reckless driving. 

Under a post made by ZJ Sparks, entertainers Tanya Stephens, Mr Lexx and Sheldon Shepherd scoffed at the cops' actions.

The artistes pointed to classism as the main reason Dietrih did not face harsher penalties.

When THE STAR contacted deejay I-Octane, he expressed that the outcome would have been totally different had the driver been someone else.
"From the get-go, as long as yuh born inna di ghetto and have a ‘ghetto mentality’, the system is against yuh. If it was a ghetto state of mind individual, even if him just act or look ghetto, the penalty would be different. Him licence woulda get taken away or him woulda get fined or him woulda deh a prison because it was a dangerous thing," he said. "Me nuh really a say dis fi bash the other individual because him done admit say him wrong but the whole thing just show say the system itself already know who dem a go bargain with."

Recording artiste Ganggoolie believes a "ghetto yute", would have been instantly charged and his licence taken away.

"A reckless driving dat innu. Dat weh the police do a send a wrong message because anybody can do anything now and get weh wid it. If yuh nuh set a example wid dem type a driving deh, anybody can do wah dem wah and expect police now fi just tell dem don’t dweet again," he said. "All me a say is dat wah goes fi one must go for all. Punishment must be the same across the board nuh matter who you are."

Welsh has since opened a new investigation to ascertain whether Dietrih was indeed the driver.