Wilkie Arthur
Freelance Court Correspondent
Appearing before Acting Resident Magistrate Ms. Patricia Arana, from the Grand Turk Magistrate Court via video link on Monday March 25th, 2024 was a second North Caicos defendant.
DEVANO HANDFIELD, 25 admitted that he burglarized more than one classroom of the Raymond Gardiner High School (RGHS) in Bottle Creek, North Caicos. The charge read that on 13th/14th March 2024 he was armed with a knife and used that knife to gain entry in the school classrooms and stole a number of laptops and other items from the school.
The accused was in a very loud argumentative mood, and when first addressed by the learned acting Resident Magistrate, he shouted, ” Who’s the judge? Because I need to know who I’m talking to!”
The accused added, “I see all kinds of people on the screen, I don’t know who’s the judge.”
At the time, there were indeed, at least six people appearing on screen, all at once during the video link ; they were awaiting their matters to be called.
It was difficult to distinguish who was speaking.
Once the accused was satisfied about who was the Magistrate in his matter, it proceeded and her Hon Arana asked the Crown to read the facts of the case since the accused had pleaded guilty.
She then asked the obviously agitated accused Devano Handfield, “Do you agree with the Crown’s fact? He replied, “I ain’t agreeing to nothing. I just want this case over with. He then changed his position, and sucking his teeth said, “Man, yes, I agree with everything she said.”
He told the Resident Magistrate that he is on drugs, naming crack cocaine and other drugs, “but yes I broke the school open.”
The Hon. RM then attempted to adjourn the case but Handfield butted in, demanding that the matter be settled no.
“No, no, no I wa get this over with today” “I ain’t into my case getting put off over and over again and gotta come back and forward to court.”
The RM told him, “you don’t dictate the process. The matter is adjourned until 10th April for sentencing, and you’re remanded in custody.
