Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
TWENTY-TWO-year-old Guyanese national, Eulanda Skeete, was yesterday admonished and discharged after she pleaded guilty to breaches of the Immigration Act when she appeared before the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court.
The court heard that the woman, who was arrested on July 14 while she danced in an exotic nightclub in Montego Bay, has lived in several places, including Barbados, and had stopped over on the island for just two days in June after she was refused entry to the Bahamas.
There had been suspicions that the grade nine high school dropout might have been a part of a human trafficking ring when she was held at the go-go club, but a probation report showed she had been a victim of neglect and did not have a solid family base.
POOR ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
The court also heard that Skeete, whose father lives in the United States and whose mother lives in Barbados, had had to provide for herself for years but had found it difficult to survive because of her poor academic background. The court heard she had been dismissed from school at the grade nine level because of poor academic results and had not done any meaningful studies since then.
The court was told that after Skeete was refused entry to the Bahamas because she did not have enough money. She was returning to Barbados via Jamaica, landing here for two days. She contacted friends who took her to the club where she sought out the owner and asked for a job.
Modestly dressed in a red blouse and an ankle-length denim skirt, the soft-spoken Skeete told the court she was very sorry and that it was the first time she had danced at an exotic club but that at the time, she was desperate for money. She said she wanted to return to Guyana and not Barbados.
The court heard that Skeete was supposed to have taken her passport to the club owner who was to have applied for a work permit on her behalf. However, she had failed to do so.
After hearing the case, Senior Resident Magistrate Winsome Henry first imposed a removal order, the equivalent of a deportation order, as it was felt it would assist her in getting a ticket home in case she had no money. However, Skeete informed the court that she would be able to pay for a ticket back home.
