AMOS... cops will determine if anyone else should be charged

WESTERN BUREAU -- A team of police officers from the St James police division is to meet, today, to determine if more artistes should be charged for breaching the Town and Communities Act, during their performances at the recent Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest stage show.

"A team of us will discuss it at a meeting come Monday," deputy superintendent of police, Derrick Knight, told the Observer last week.

DSP Knight said, then, that cops are still reviewing the tapes that were shot on location during the week-long reggae festival, but he anticipated that the process would be completed in time for today's meeting.

Early last Sunday morning, the police served high-riding dancehall deejay Sean Paul with a summons, after he used expletives during his performance on International Night of the annual reggae festival.

Shortly after the summons was issued, commanding officer in charge of St James, Superintendent Newton Amos, told the Observer that a team of policemen would be viewing the tapes of the show to determine if anyone else should be charged.

He added that the police would be getting tough on artistes who apparently believe that they can flout the law by using expletives on stage.

Over the past few years, the police have been videotaping the festival and have taken strong action against artistes who use expletives during their performances.

At the 2001 staging of the reggae festival, for example, the police took action against eight artistes who breached the Town and Communities Act, by using foul language while on-stage.

The eight were prominent Jamaican deejays Lady Saw, Bounty Killer, Alozade, Beenie Man, Elephant Man, and Merciless, as well as American rappers Snoop Dogg and Ja Rule.

Meanwhile, Sean Paul, whose real name is Sean Paul Henriques, was scheduled to appear in court last Wednesday, but he was a no show.

A warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest but it was stayed until September 1, when he is expected to appear in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court.

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