MONTEGO BAY, St James — Cambridge resident Oshawn Grant was slapped with a fine and advised to read his Bible when he appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday to answer accusations of being involved in the ritualistic practice known as obeah.

Grant, who appears to be in his early 20s, pleaded guilty before presiding judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce.

According to court records, the police executed a search warrant at Grant’s residence on March 25. Upon entry the authorities observed that the dwelling was shrouded in a mist of smoke and there was incense burning in each corner of Grant’s bedroom. A plain white T-shirt with various denominations of money was discovered on the floor, surrounded by burning candles in a ritualistic fashion.

He had various boxes on his dresser labelled “Money Rain”, “Money House”, and “African Powers”.

Grant was also wearing four silver rings. When the officer instructed him to remove them he expressed fear of dying and stated that the rings served as protection. He also emphasised his deeply held beliefs by declaring that he was fully “guzu”.

“What kind of oil were you rubbing up into, sir?” Judge Grant-Pryce asked the defendant after hearing the allegations.

“Mi have problem sleeping at night,” Grant responded.

“So, what do you do to sleep at night?” the judge enquired.

“Mi just buy two little incense,” the accused man told the judge.

The judge then offered Grant an alternative method to induce sleep.

“Try magnesium and prayer, sir, or try Habakkuk or Haggai; try to read those books of the
Bible. One of them must put you to sleep,” Grant-Pryce told the defendant before ordering him to pay a $5,000 fine or spend five days in jail.