A young man who tried to bribe a policeman with $2,650 after he was caught riding a motorcycle without a driver’s licence and insurance escaped a prison sentence after he was given a second chance by the judge.
Davian Sherwood, 22, pleaded guilty to bribery and was ordered to pay a fine of $30,000 or serve six months in prison.
Sherwood’s lawyer, Charles Williams had begged Parish Judge Vaughn Smith to be lenient on his client before the sentence was passed.
“He is very sorry and he has asked me to apologise to the court and to the police for the bad decision that he made,” Williams said.
He also told the judge that his client had no previous brushes with the law before the incident and to bear in mind that he was still very young.
The judge replied: “Mr Sherwood, the charge that you have pleaded guilty to is very serious, but I will take into consideration that you have not wasted the court’s time and has pleaded guilty.
“I am going to be lenient and not impose a custodial sentence, but you must be cognisant of the seriousness of the offence,” Judge Smith stressed.
“You are getting a chance today and I am going to impose a fine of $30,000, but the maximum fine is $1 million; that’s how serious the crime is,” the judge stated.
This recklessness has to stop. What if he had injured anyone? He should have gotten at least 3 months in prison IMO.