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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, May 20 2016 – Babeeta Persaud is headed back to Guyana after she confessed to stealing tins and packages of cucumber and cabbage seeds from Carters & Company Limited on Wednesday.
She appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Sergeant Neville Reid told the court that Persaud went into the store and took up the seeds before proceeding to the cashier, where she paid for some of the items, but not the ones she had placed in a black plastic bag.
The Guyanese woman was stopped by a security officer as she attempted to leave the store with the unpaid items.
Police were called in and Persaud gave her name as Triseena Persaud of River Land, St Philip.
However, a check was made with the Immigration Department where her Christian name was given as Babeeta and her address as Blades Hill No. 2.
Attorney-at-law Arthur Holder, who spoke on behalf of Persaud sought to explain that his client goes by both names and was in no way trying to mislead lawmen. He said Persaud, who is a farmer, had moved to the second address after she had split with her boyfriend.
The lawyer went on to say that Persaud came to Barbados in February 2015 and had remained here ever since. He described the mother of two teenagers as remorseful, adding that she was willing to pay for her departure home. He urged the court not to impose a custodial sentence but to hand her over to Immigration officials.
“It is her first offence, the items were recovered and she is willing to pay her passage back,” Holder pointed out, as he asked the court to convict, reprimand and discharge his client.
Magistrate Cuffy-Sargeant handed her over to Immigration, but not before she paid $500 in costs to the court. (Barbados TODAY)
