Free at last - Tommy Lee Sparta's co-accused wants to join the police force

Montego Bay native O'Brian Smith is eager to put the last four years of his life behind him and work towards becoming a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

Smith, like his co-accused Tommy Lee Sparta, is now a free man following yesterday's ruling in the Home Circuit Court where they have been cleared of charges relating to possession of identity information.

Both Smith, 22, and Tommy Lee, whose real name is Leroy Russell, were charged in 2014, after investigations stemming from a traffic stop led police to a Kingston 5 apartment, where lottery scam paraphernalia were reportedly found.

The trial ended yesterday after the Trial Judge Carolyn Tie upheld a no-case submission put forward by the attorney for both accused, Ernest Smith.

CLEAR JUBILATION

After the verdict was handed down by Justice Tie, Smith cleared the dock and opened his jacket in clear jubilation.

"Right now, my family happier than me. Is a situation that I got myself in because I was around the artiste, but they were only going after him and we all see the outcome," Smith told THE WEEKEND STAR.

Smith has a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and says that with his freedom regained, he intends to further his quest of becoming a policeman.

"What I've always wanted to do is to go into the police force and to prevent the exact type of thing I went through, the whole scamming thing. Because I am from MoBay, I need to get that (lottery scamming) out just the same, and bring back MoBay on the map in a good way. I want to join MOCA (Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency) and use my IT expertise," he said.

While he is happy that he has been freed, Smith told our news team that the case took a toll on his education and personal life.

"That was really hard on me. I had three semesters that I can recall where I had to miss exams then repetition them the following semester, just so I could sit it and express my situation very vaguely, so that they would allow me [to sit the exams]. The jobs now, oftentimes it would surface that 'O'Brian Smith, Tommy Lee', and they would want to know what is this that I am involved with, and they would want to know why I am missing work. Four years that I have been going through this."

Meanwhile, Smith said that his immediate plans for the holidays and the new year is to get a breather.

"Right now, I am actually planning to leave Jamaica, give Jamaica a break because I can travel now. I had a stop order on my name. I am now free, have my letter for the stop order to be lifted. What a relief," he said.