A woman who went to the Overseas Examination Commission (OEC) in Kingston with a fraudulent Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) preliminary slip to collect an examination certificate is to return to the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on August 31 for sentencing.

The fraudulent slip showed that the offender, Crystal Burke, had received grade one passes in mathematics and social studies, as well as a grade two pass in English Language in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams.

The court heard that on June 13, the complainant went to the OEC’s office on Piccadilly Avenue in Kingston and tendered the fraudulent document in exchange for a certificate.

The document was, however, examined and found to be forged. Burke was then arrested and charged with forgery, attempting to obtain and uttering forged document.

Burke pleaded guilty to the charges yesterday when she appeared in court before Parish Judge Simone Maddix.

“Why didn’t you use your brain power and study for the exam instead of coming up with that not-so-clever plan?” the judge asked Burke. “What inspired you?”

“Nothing,” Burke responded.

“It must be something,” the judge insisted.

Burke then started to tell court that she had received the slip from a man who had “the link”, but Judge Maddix told her not to say anything more.

The judge, before extending Burke’s bail, ordered a social enquiry report.

— Tanesha Mundle