Conductors and drivers punished with heavy fines for not wearing uniforms should seek to get the convictions overturned following a ruling in the Bridgetown Traffic Court on Friday.
Public service vehicle (PSV) worker Andre Marlon Scott had pleaded guilty to 2018 charges of being inappropriately dressed believing he was not wearing the right uniform and that he was wrong not to wear the required PSV badge even though he did not receive one since the Government’s printing machine was not working.
When Scott returned to court for sentencing by Magistrate Graveney Bannister, he had retained Queen’s Counsel Michael Lashley at the 11th-hour and challenged the legality of the charges. Lashley convinced the court to throw out the matters, with the magistrate agreeing that the law on the attire contained a loophole.
As a result of the ruling, some of those in the more than 1 130 convictions of 2018 for failure to wear badges and those in the 1 700 convictions for improper attire last year said they wanted redress. Scott had been charged with improper dress and failing to wear the PSV badge on July 19, 2018. He was also charged with being inappropriately attired on March 12, 2018 and driving the PSV with the door ajar in February 2018. He was fined $400 on the latter. (AC)
