A Langley Park man was, on Monday, fined EC$800 for playing music loudly in a vehicle without permission of the authorities and not wearing his seatbelt.
Magistrate Bertie Pompey, sitting at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, ordered Erron Laborde, whom he described as “arrogant” to pay the fines forthwith or go to prison for four months on each charge.
Laborde had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was found guilty after a trial.
Police Inspector Junior Nero told the court he was in the porch of the Georgetown Police Station about 4:35 p.m. on Jan. 17 when he heard loud music coming from motor vehicle H1975.
He signalled to the vehicle to stop and Laborde complied.
Nero pointed out the offence of playing a loud musical instrument to the defendant.
The inspector also noticed that the defendant was not wearing his seatbelt at the time, as is mandated by law.
Laborde also did not have his driver’s license with him at the time, but the police officer decided not to charge him for this offence.
Laborde did not cross-examine the inspector after he testified.
The magistrate then asked him “Why did you plead not guilty then?”
The defendant responded, “‘Cause I am not guilty.”
In his defence, Laborde told the court: “They stopped me. I was wearing a seatbelt. It’s non-adjustable so it is usually in my neck. I have to use my right arm to put it over. I told the officer what I just told you, he said I needed to grow some chest. He said I was playing music. My vehicle came with music”
During cross examination by Prosecutor Corlene Samuel, Laborde insisted that he was wearing his seatbelt.
He said he has been driving for about over 10 years and knows the law in St. Vincent and the Grenadines as it pertains to the wearing of seatbelts.
Laborde kept repeating the prosecutor’s questions and took long pauses before he answered.
In handing down his ruling, Pompey told Laborde: “So you feel because your van comes with music, nobody can regulate you? So you play it as you feel?”
Is there any device to measure the loudness of the music?
What is the acceptable volume/loudness as determined by law?
Were there any witnesses, who complained about the loud music?
How long did the officer have him under observation?
Was the musical instrument seized and presented as evidence?
How far away was the van from the officer?
Was the vehicle moving or stationary?
This driver definitely needed a lawyer to fight his case. He is extremely ignorant of even the basics of his charge.
YOU SOUND LIKE YOU COMPETENT AND READY TO REPRESENT HIM LOL………..”LOUDNESS MEASURING DEVICE ” …….LMAO
The instrument is called a “decibel meter.” It is small and inexpensive though I doubt the police have any even though the anti-noise law has specifictions defining what is considered loud music.
Your comment, however, suggest that you believe that there is no such thing as loud music or that loud music should not be punished, beliefs that are primitive in the extreme.
You may justify a wrong BUT it still is not right!
Not only an arrogant dude but lawless and indifferent.
Many more charges like this are needed, including charges of speeding and reckless driving.
Perhaps you SJOHN, are one of those most primitive of individuals, who live in this country and pollutes our civil environment with your incessant wretched loud music.
Well SJOHN, good manners dictates that you and others like you, enjoy your music, of whatever genera is your taste, in the confines of your own enclosed space and not to allow your music to escape to the profound annoyance of others who do not care for hearing it.
Hear, hear. Too many of our people are always shouting about the alleged violation of their individual rights but have no consideration for the rights of others.
Just back from a swim at Buccament Bay Resort beachfront which is strewn with garbage every weekend and on public holidays and spotted a discarded diaper near the water full of too-too that a middle aged couple then picked up along with other garbage which they placed in a plastic bag which I’m sure they intended to deposit in some garbage bin.
Although the resort seems to have only one garbage bin which is certainly grossly insufficient, our people are chronic and uncaring litter bugs.
By the way, the couple, who appear to be residents as opposed to passing tourists, were … you guessed it … white folks, testimony not to some innate white race environmentalism but to the fact that they must have come from a developed country where concern for the environment has been ingrained in the population, something that we are very slack about in little environmentally vulnerable SVG.
I balance this observation with remarks from a local beach vendor of drinks and snacks to cruise ship passengers who visit the site to swim, sunbathe, and kayak who has complained to me on several occasions that she has to clean up the entire area around here of garbage left by what she called “worthless you-know-what,” none of them tourists.
There are devices to measure deci else. Does the law specify at how many decibels one would be in violation of the said law? There is also research out there suggesting safe decibels levels to avoid/prevent damage to heading so it is more than aggravation
HELLO…YOU DONT NEED A DECIBEL READER TO ENFORCE THIS OBVIOUS LAW !!!!
DO OTHER COUNTRIES USE A DECIBEL READER ??? NOT TO SAY THATS WHY WE SHOULD NOT…………PEOPLE STOP THE FOOLISHNESS !!!!!