PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, 2018 (CMC) – A 12-year-old primary school boy, today, pleaded guilty to issuing death threats to Police Commissioner, Gary Griffith, and has been released into the custody of his parents, until his sentencing.
The child, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, pleaded guilty to misusing a telephone to send a threatening message, when he appeared before Master Nazeera Ali in the Port-of-Spain Children’s Court.
The magistrate has since requested a report from the Probation Services Division to assist in determining the appropriate punishment.
Under Section 106 of the Summary Offenses Act, the offense carries a maximum penalty of a $200 fine or up to a month in prison.
The child will be sentenced on January 16 next year.
The court heard that a call had been received by the E999 operator from a mobile phone, with a male caller saying “we are coming to kill Gary Griffith”.
The call was then transferred to the E999’s police corporal on duty, where the caller repeated his threat to kill Griffith. The caller then extended his death to the police corporal who took the call.
The call was traced to east Port of Spain and the boy surrendered to the police, yesterday.
Meanwhile, police are investigating another incident, in which a caller threatened to kill the Police Commissioner and his wife, Nicole.
The male caller, whose number is known, said: “I want to summon Gary Griffith for defamation of character against me, tomorrow in court, or else I will call him and chop off he (expletive) mother (expletive) head. How you like that? And kill he wife, Nicole Dyer… huh mother (expletive),” the police said.
The Trinidad Express newspaper, today, quoted Griffith as saying that “I would expect to get these desperate threats on a regular basis.”
“Certain criminal elements felt that they were in full control, and this nation belonged solely to them to do as they pleased. Well there is a new kid on the block, who would not allow these thugs to bully law-abiding citizens, as easily as they did before, so these threats are expected.
“Bullies do not like being bullied. I would ask them, yet again, to stop clogging up our E999 and Command Centre with these threats. If they want to do something, don’t talk; just do. It may be their last act,” Griffith told the newspaper.
