KINGSTON, Jamaica — A woman who appeared before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court for stealing electricity broke down in tears on Tuesday when she was confronted with a potential fine of up to $1 million for the power she had siphoned off over the years.

Octavia Johnson was charged with abstracting electricity after technicians observed illegal connections from Johnson’s home to poles belonging to the Jamaica Public Service (JPS). The metre at the premises had been inactive since 2014.

Appearing before Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell, the young woman pleaded not guilty repeatedly, even after admitting to the crime.

Johnson detailed that she had a refrigerator, television and fan, all in working condition, which she actively used in her home. However, when asked if she paid an electricity bill, she said no.

The accused also admitted that she knew other paying customers would be the ones billed for the electricity she used, however, she still continued to plead not guilty to the frustration of the judge who remanded her for several hours.

When Johnson returned, she finally pleaded guilty to the crime and in tears, explained that she was unemployed and charged with the care of her grandmother who is visually impaired.

“I didn’t want to go to jail,” she told the court, wiping away tears. Johnson revealed that her brother, who was in court to support her, was the sole earner of the household but does not reside with them, and her grandmother would have been left alone had she been served a prison sentence.

After consultation with legal aid and the siblings who indicated their willingness to regularise their accounts with JPS, Judge Burrell fined Johnson $10,000 of the potential $1 million fine, instructing her to work with JPS and find a job as soon as she could.

— Dana Malcolm