Paralysed man on ‘cocaine’ charge

Greene of George Street was jointly charged with Stephan Gonzales who pleaded not guilty to the charge. Greene, however, pleaded guilty.

He had to be bodily lifted by fellow cellmates from the prisoner’s docks and brought before the magistrate. His wheelchair was left in the dock. Greene was a victim of a drive-by shooting at a KFC outlet in 2004. He was shot and as a result was left paralysed from the waist down.

The charge alleged that on Thursday around 10.30 am, Greene was driving a car which was intercepted by police officers in La Romaine. The vehicle was searched and officers found a plastic bag containing a quantity of cocaine.

Magistrate Deonarinesingh said that she would send a letter to the relevant authorities to inform them about the lack of facilities for the handicapped in the court’s.

Magistrate Deonarinesingh told Greene the penalty for the offence was a minimum of five years imprisonment. But she said that she had entertained the thought of sentencing him to do community service because of his disabilities.

However, magistrate Deonarinesingh said that she was unsure whether, given his handicapped situation, Greene was qualified to perform such service. He is to reappear in court on June 16 when a decision will be made as to his punishment.