7 News Belize

Charged Twice For Breaking Curfew
posted (May 7, 2020)

And while at court our news team met two men who had been arrested for breach of curfew, one of them twice.

After more than a month under a curfew, by now it should be reflexive to get indoors before 8:00.   But whether by necessity or misadventure, a small number of people continue to get caught out and about after curfew. Â Ã‚ 

Shane Smith - On trial for breach of curfew
"They caught me on Banak road by magazine where I went to drop bread and bun. That was about 6 o’clock. I was trying to explain to the police officer now, police officer didn’t want to listen to me, they just told me to get in, that I wasn’t going home and I’m a big man 35 years of age."

Cherisse Halsall
"But 6’0 clock was before the 8 o’clock curfew?"

Shane mith
"Before the 8 o’clock curfew and they just took me locked me down for like 3 days."

Frampton Gillett - On trial for breach of curfew
"I got picked up twice for breach of curfew. I live in a village, in Boom, and the police stop who they want. You know what bug you out of this whole thing, watch who is out here, the poorest of poorest of people and then we get some crazy fine. They people could give us something to do, they the bring we down like this, you know because if you notice when an average man pikni get hold, they call a big man and tell ah let ah go. When a hold a poor man like, you know what they do? They call somebody to come bail we, you know, so I just know this system oppress we, bring we down.."

And last night 61 people including a police officer were arrested and charged for offenses under the Emergency Powers Regulations:

Apart from the 26 people arrested and charged for failing to wear a face covering, 15 were arrested for breach of curfew, 14 people were unable to provide a reasonable explanation or proof for movement outside of curfew, 2 failed to practice social distancing, and 1 person entered Belize illegally. 

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