The Serious Offences Court has ordered a vendor to compensate a security guard whose shirt she damaged in Kingstown on Friday.
The vendor, Luenda Cuffy, of Barrouallie, appeared before Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne on Monday and pleaded guilty to a charge that on April 14, at Kingstown, without lawful excuse, she damaged one black t-shirt the property of Kevin Neil, of Penniston, intending to damage such property.
The court heard that Neil is a 42-year-old security officer employed with the Kingstown Town Board.
On Friday, about 11 a.m., Neil along with other security personnel and members of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force was along Lower Bay Street moving vendors who were selling there.
Cuffy was selling from a trolley opposite Coreas Minimart.
Neil approached her and asked her to remove her trolley and to stop vending along the said street.
Cuffy did not comply after being asked several times and as a result Neil held on to her trolley to put it in a truck that was close by.
Cuffy got annoyed, grabbed on to Neil and scuffled him by the chest, causing his t-shirt to rip.
She was arrested and taken to the Criminal Investigations Department, in Kingstown, where Neil made a report of damage to property.
He gave the value of the t-shirt as EC$50.
Cuffy was told of the report and cautioned and interviewed. She gave a statement admitting to the offence and was later charged.
The court heard that Cuffy had no previous convictions.
Asked if she though that ordering compensation could be reasonable in the case, the woman told the chief magistrate:
“Well, my love, if I have to pay compensation for the shirt, I have no problem with that.”
The magistrate ordered that the EC$50 compensation be paid by Friday or three days in prison.
Street vending is much older that I am and has been going on in SVG for years. That’s the way some people put food on the table, send their kids to school and buy clothes for them.
I know how crowded the streets in Kingstown are with so many people trying to make a few cents. And I agree something has to be done. These vendors need to get to customers and that’s why they move in-front of some stores.
What venders should do is use carts to move around the streets, so they don’t have to be in front of any building. They can stop to sell a customer an item, then can move on. I hope they won’t be charged for doing this, because they are not taking up space in the street.
It’s one thing about St Vincent, it really produces a lot of comedy ( comedians) it should HAVE BEEN CALLED DISNEYLAND