Airport baggage soliciting case
Children reprimanded and discharged
Kaieteur News
July 17, 2004
The three children who were charged with soliciting passengers’ baggage at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport -Timehri were yesterday reprimanded and discharged.
The trio appeared before Magistrate Reakha Persaud at the Providence Magistrate’s Court.
All three children, including the oldest child, an 11-year-old, were remanded in police custody pending probation reports.
The two girls were sent to East La Penitence while the boy was detained at Ruimveldt.
The children were charged on July 14 with soliciting the baggage of incoming passengers at Guyana’s sole airport without the approval of the Director of Civil Aviation Department.
In court yesterday, the children shook their heads in admittance when asked by the Magistrate if they were treated kindly.
However, they indicated their preference to return home with their parents. Parents of all the children were present in court and one parent was adamant that the police were wrong to pick up her child.
She alleged that her child was picked up from her stall near the airport. The woman said the child was not in the airport.
Magistrate Persaud warned the parents not to allow their children within the immediate parameters of the airport and to find something constructive for them to do:
“You parents must give them a book to read or some words to spell. They must not be running around the airport idly. At no other airport do you find small children running around.
If you fail to do so, the next time these children appear before me, I will ensure that the police charge the parents.” Recently, many persons have been charged with the offence of soliciting passengers’ baggage.
Some of these cases are presently pending at the Providence court.