A woman who reportedly tricked her lover into believing that she had given birth to their child while he was overseas, then conned him out of more than $700,000 before forging a death certificate for the fictitious baby, received a suspended sentence and was ordered to make full restitution when she appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

Raxon Linton pleaded guilty to forgery and uttering a forged document before presiding parish judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley.

According to court records, Linton was romantically involved with the complainant, who had gone overseas on the Farm Work Programme. During his absence, she informed him that she was pregnant with their son.

The complainant is said to have wired her approximately $750,000 over a period of time to finance the baby he thought he had.

When the complainant returned to Jamaica to meet his purported baby, Linton informed him that the infant, whom she claimed was three months old, had become ill and died.

The complainant became suspicious after Linton handed him a death certificate, prompting him to visit the clinic at Cornwall Regional Hospital as well as Delapenha’s Funeral Home. Both entities informed him that no record of such a baby existed.

It was subsequently revealed that Linton was never pregnant and that the death certificate was forged.

The complainant reported the matter to the Area One Fraud Squad and Linton was arrested and charged.

After the allegations were outlined, Smith-Ashley asked Linton if she was willing to make restitution and she said, “Yes.”

The judge then asked the complainant if he had a bank account to which Linton could make the payment and he said, “Yes.”

Linton was then asked whether she had anything to say to the complainant, given that the issue was not just about the monetary loss.

“It’s the feeling of despair knowing that he would have been looking forward to his first child that didn’t exist…It’s betrayal…Oh my goodness, you probably told him it was a boy,” the judge said.

“Yes, I told him it was a boy, Your Honour,” Linton replied.

The judge then instructed Linton to face the complainant and express what she wanted to say to him.

Linton apologised, stating that everyone makes mistakes and that she knew he had been extremely good to her.

The complainant, who remained respectful throughout the proceedings, accepted her apology.

Linton was sentenced to one year in prison on each count, but the sentence was suspended for three years.

As part of her punishment, an order for restitution in the sum of $750,000 was issued, to be paid in monthly instalments of $125,000 on the 28th of each month commencing in May and continuing until the sum is paid in full.

In the event of her inability to make the payment, there is a likelihood of her being incarcerated until the debt is settled.

“One day you will meet a nice young lady, get married, and have all the children you want,” the judge then told the complainant before he exited the courtroom.

Lawyer makes no-case submission in Rastafarian’s ganja case

The lawyer representing Charles Largie, who was arrested after ganja was discovered inside his shop, made a no-case submission on Wednesday, requesting that his client not be called to answer to the charge against him.

Attorney Chumu Paris argued that the offence has not been made out and that the substance was used for religious purposes as a sacrament in adherence to the Rastafarian faith.

Paris stated that the defence had stated from the beginning that the defendant was exercising his religious freedom of expression at the time and that the use and possession of the ganja was permissible under the exemption.

“He told them he was a Rastafarian… By his conduct and his words, I’m submitting that on the Crown’s case it’s a demonstration of him invoking his right to freedom of expression and that right is the right to adhere to the Rastafarian faith,” Paris said.

The attorney also pointed out that his client declared that he does not sell ganja and only accepts a donation.

The case was subsequently set for continuation on May 5 and Largie’s bail was extended.

According to court files, police went to Largie’s shop and found ganja in three transparent bags. They also found 95 transparent vials and a transparent jar marked “Rastafarian Cannabis”.

When cautioned, Largie reportedly said to the cop, “A mi name Charles Largie… mi get back mi ganja from the same police station before.”

Man fined for forged airport pass

A 38-year-old man who was arrested at Sangster International Airport for being in possession of a fraudulent airport pass was fined $40,000 in the St James Parish Court on Friday.

Everaldo Appleton was charged with breaches of the Civil Aviation Regulations.

In an earlier court appearance he pleaded not guilty to the charge, but the sitting judge, Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley, advised him not to waste the court’s time if he was guilty.

On being advised that pleading guilty could result in a sentence discount, based on factors such as previous good records, age, and dependents, Appleton subsequently entered a guilty plea and explained that he had been dismissed from his job at a tour company.

He described his actions at the airport as merely packing some bags on a bus to generate money, a legitimate job but one he was not hired to do.

On Friday, he was due to pay a $50,000 fine, but had only $40,000 available.

Smith-Ashley imposed a penalty of either paying a $40,000 fine or serving a three-month prison sentence.

It is alleged that on October 23 last year, about 2:40 pm, Appleton was spotted at the airport’s transportation area.

He was searched by cops and 29 ounces of ganja was found in his rear pants pocket. The cop was also suspicious of an ID pinned to his shirt, and an investigation later revealed that he, Appleton, entered that section of the airport using a forged pass.

When cautioned, he reportedly said to the police, “Jah know, a jus no my day.”

He was fined for the ganja in an earlier court appearance.