KINGSTON, Jamaica – When a man that was hauled before a senior parish judge on Tuesday for impersonating a dead police officer learned that he would be remanded, he started pleading with the judge, stating that he has heart failure and prostate cancer.

The Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court was told that on May 31, lawmen patrolling the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston saw Oral Stewart parked in a restricted area.

When the cops approached him, Stewart reportedly said he was a police officer and presented an identification card (ID) that was later found to belong to a deceased detective sergeant.

The investigating officer (IO) told presiding judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montaque that the apprehending officer was suspicious of Stewart and asked him where he was stationed, to which he said the Mona Reserve.

When checks were made, it was found that the ID number on the badge belonged to the deceased cop of the Half-Way Tree branch in St Andrew.

A driver’s licence in Stewart’s possession also belonged to the deceased cop.

The ID and driver’s licence reportedly had Stewart’s picture.

After he was arrested, Stewart reportedly said of the identification cards in his possession: “mi never really used it enuh.”

Stewart ultimately pleaded guilty to possession of forged documents, conspiracy to defraud and two counts of breaching the Cybercrime Act. He was also slapped with the charges of no parking under the Airport Authority Act, no driver’s licence and no insurance coverage. These matters will be handled in the Traffic Court.

“How long have you been walking around with this,” the judge asked Stewart.

“Not even two months,” he answered.

He told the judge that he did not know the dead man and he got his driver’s licence from the man’s cousin, who asked him to take it to the taxi office for him, but he held onto it.

Visibly upset, Cole-Montaque said, “I think this is a very serious offence to be walking around with a police ID. A police officer’s identification is a powerful document to be walking around with. It gives you clear passage into many places, you can access crime scenes, you can go into people’s places with very little questions asked… It’s a very serious offence because of the potential damage that could be done and I don’t know what has already been done… Them a go say I’m a cruel judge to lock you up with prostate [cancer] and heart failure.”

“Please,” he begged.

“You need a period of remand,” Cole-Montaque said.

Hearing this, the man started to hyperventilate as he placed his hand over his heart.

“Breathe in and out before I send you where you are going,” the judge said with a look of concern on her face.

Stewart was remanded until next week Wednesday when his sentence will be handed down.

“You see, anytime matters come before the court, judges must be very aware that whatever decision is made, a message is sent. I intend to send a message to anybody who think they can assume another person’s identification,” Cole-Montaque said