‘Jamaica is really not a real place!’ - Judge blasts couple for capturing man’s house

The parents of a three-month-old baby, seeking to find a new home for their expanding family, have admitted to taking over an elderly man's property that has been unoccupied for the past three years.

Details were shared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Wednesday, where the defendants, Jessica Rhoden and her partner, Maurice Lord, pleaded guilty to housebreaking and larceny.

"Jamaica is really not a real place," Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell said. Prosecutors contend that the complainant owns a premises on Harbour Drive in Harbour View, St Andrew, and had securely locked up the fully furnished property three years ago to take care of his sick mother. On September 8, the complainant received telephone calls stating that persons were on his property and cleaning up his house. A police team was dispatched to make checks at the property, where Rhoden, Lord, and fellow accused Samuel Walker and Rhoden's 17-year-old sister were seen cleaning the yard.

They were all arrested and when cautioned, Walker allegedly indicated that he was only helping his friend - Lord - to clean the property. The teenager allegedly told police that she was only assisting her sister.

Rhoden, when cautioned, allegedly told investigators that it was her idea to go to the property while Lord allegedly said, "Me just get a baby and me and my baby mother just capture it [the complainant's house].

"They were trying to capture the land, Your Honour," the prosecutor told the senior judge, adding that the accused broke the locks to the house and stole a radio, antique chair and clothes. The complainant was very distressed.

"They cleaned out both bedrooms, Your Honour. It hurt me because if you ever know how much for one of those chairs, you head hurt you. My father left a stamp collection at the house, and there are so many things at that house that I didn't even know was there," the visually impaired man shared. He said that the antique chair, radio and clothes were found following the intervention of the police.

Through the judge's probing, Rhoden said she had been 'eyeing' the property and noticed that it was unoccupied. She said through a search of the lot number, she found out that the property taxes had not been paid for the last seven years.

"The neighbours told me that they did not know where the owner is," Rhoden, 20, told Burrell.

"But that is not anyone's business. Adverse possession is not as easy as we think. It is a complex academic situation. Look at these young people trying to shortcut their way to home ownership," Burrell chided the couple.

Rhoden and Lord pleaded guilty to the charges while Walker and the teen pleaded not guilty. Burrell said the defendants should come prepared on December 11, when they are to be sentenced, to make restitution to the complainant.

"In the meantime, erect a no-trespassing sign and get some help with caring for your mother and the property," the judge instructed the complainant.