A German national found himself in a Freeport Magistrate court Wednes-day morning, after being arrested by Bahamas Immigration officers for overstaying his allotted time in the country.
According to reports, Hans Schonberg had visited The Bahamas on several other occasions prior to arriving here on November 23, 2003 for a 14-day stay.
Sometime during that visit, he went to the Bahamas Immigration office and requested an extension and was granted a three-month extension that began on December 8, 2003 and would have expired on March 8, 2004.
One year and eight months later, however, Bahamas Immigration tracked down and arrested Mr. Schonberg on October 4, 2005.
Mr. Schonberg pleading guilty to the charge. Asked by Magistrate Franklyn Williams what his reasons were for staying so long, he said he was trying to get a work permit, but his efforts were unsuccessful.
“You must not be among the elite, who can come to The Bahamas as a visitor or for whatever reason and get a work permit. No, something must have gone awry,” suggested the magistrate.
Mr. Schonberg was sentenced to one year in Her Majesty’s prison and fined $3,000, which is to be paid by the expiration of his prison sentence or he will serve an additional three months. The magistrate further ordered that Mr. Schonberg be deported upon the completion of his sentence.
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Also appearing in court was Jermaine Moxey, who pleaded guilty to driving an unlicenced motor vehicle.
According to police, on Sunday, September 18, 2005 around 9:45 p.m. Mr. Moxey drove a red and white Honda motor cycle along Somerville Drive without being licenced for the year 2005.
Mr. Moxey was fined $200 or three months in prison. The fine is to be paid by October 21, 2005.
Later that morning, a spectator in Magistrate’s Court was fined $50 and his cellular phone confiscated after it rang and disrupted the court proceedings.
Orlando Smith proceeded to suck his teeth after his phone was confiscated, annoying Magistrate Williams, who then fined him an additional $100.
“If you want to leave your wallet in this court today, you keep on acting in the manner that you are,” advised the magistrate.
Mr. Smith later found himself before the magistrate again, this time accompanied by Julian Bartlett for the continuation of a preliminary inquiry into an attempted robbery of Commonwealth Bank back in 2003.
According to reports, on Friday, March 21, 2003, the two men ﾗ while being concerned with another ﾗ did willingly and unlawfully enter the commonwealth Bank of Lucaya to commit an offence.
The court heard from two Commonwealth workers, who testified as witnesses for the prosecution. Joanna Robinson and Johnny Martin both shared similar versions of the day in question.
According to their testimonies, they were working their respective stations when they heard a loud banging at the door from a masked man with a gun.
They said everyone screamed, “Don’t open it,” but another young man who seemed to be working with the gunman opened the door. They said once inside, a third man who was on line in the bank pulled out a gun.
Reportedly, one of the gunman jumped over the counter and requested money, while tugging at the teller drawers, which were locked.
After three failed attempts to open the drawers, they left the bank.
The matter was adjourned to Monday, February 20, 2006.
By ANGELO ARMBRISTER, Freeport News Reporter
