Woman prefers prison rather than repaying nephew

An elderly woman indicated her intention to spend time in custody, as opposed to repaying her nephew $20,000 for damaging a household padlock.

"Me rather do the 30 days. Him can't get my money. Me nah give him the money, a my rent money me have," Rose-Marie Samuels expressed boldly from the prisoner's dock in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Thursday. Samuels pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of property and disorderly conduct. It was reported that on May 12, Samuels went to her sister's house, where she was residing at the time, and tried to gain access to the home. The court heard that Samuels called to the complainant to open the house and when he ignored her calls, she destroyed the padlock.

"I was waiting to go inside the house and him [the complainant] lock me out the house, me and my grandson," Samuels explained.

"Was it raining?" Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell asked Samuels.

"Yes Your Honour," she replied.

"Madam, you are a dangerous woman you know. Someone locked you out the house and you break the lock?" Burrell said, before imposing an initial fine of $10,000 for the malicious destruction of property. But the judge's comment caused Samuels to laugh as she stood in the prisoner's dock.

"For that you are going to pay $10,000 more. So now it is $20,000 or 30 days' imprisonment," Burrell indicted.

"Excuse me Your Honour? I rather spend the 30 days in custody," Samuels said and began behaving boisterously. Despite several pleas by the judge, court police and even the prosecutor to get Samuels to calm down, the woman continued her disorderly behaviour and was then taken into custody.

The judge then made a compensation order for Samuels to pay the sums.

- T.T.