Foreigner convicted of breaching COVID curfew

An American resident who reportedly engaged police in a motor vehicle chase after she was pulled over for breaching the aspects of the Disaster Risk Management Act was fined yesterday in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

Alyssa Brown was charged with breaching the curfew order and resisting arrest. Her sister, Trinity Collins, is also charged with the same offences but was not present in court as she had already left the island. It is reported that on January 29 at 1:47 a.m., Brown was stopped by police on patrol for breaching the curfew. She was told to drive behind them to the Hunts Bay Police Station. But the court heard that Brown sped away and was chased by police.

Initially, when the allegations were read and Brown was arraigned, she entered a not-guilty plea before Chief Parish Judge Chester Crooks. But, after consulting an attorney, she changed her plea to guilty. The lawyer indicated that his client wished to return home for a number of reasons.

"As such, she will enter a familiar plea to both offences, even though Your Honour, having spoken to Ms Brown, I believe there is enough to challenge. But nonetheless, we are very clear on the fact that she wishes to shorten proceedings," the lawyer told the judge. Crooks cautioned that he does not prompt defendants to plead guilty out of convenience.

"If you are saying not guilty, then the normal process as in the United States, you will go toward trial. There is an experience that foreigners leaving for whatever reason and when they go back, they turn around and blast our justice system, I'm just talking generally, how they were prosecuted and so on. I am very curious if the police are saying that having given her instructions, [and] she fled. I am very curious as to why they would have given her station bail. That is classic flight risk," Crooks said.

He imposed a fine of $25,000 or 30 days' imprisonment for breaching the curfew. Brown was admonished and discharged for resisting arrest. Collins was also ordered to pay the fine, ex parte and was admonished and discharged for resisting arrest.