…she refused to give him money to buy more rum
A 36-year-old father of three, who threatened to kill his wife because he wanted money to buy alcohol and could not get it, was yesterday fined $20,000, with an alternative of six weeks imprisonment, and bonded to keep the peace for one year, by Magistrate Sherdel Marcus, in the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court.

Particulars of the case state that on July 25, 2011, at 15:00hrs, Ramrooop Rooplall, a GuySuco employee, of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, was consuming alcohol at his home. When the alcohol was finished, and he realised he could not get money to buy more, the defendant became abusive to  his wife, Melissa, and, contrary to Section 141 of the summary Jurisdiction Offences Act, used threatening language to her.

The woman became scared and reported the matter to the police.

The defendant, when asked what had he to say for himself, explained that he did not hit his wife, but only threatened her. And asked by the Magistrate why he threatened to kill her, he said he never meant to do it, adding nervously, “It slip out, Meh Worship.”

For allowing such threatening words to ‘slip out’ Rooplall will either have to ‘slip his hands’ deep into his pocket and come up with a $20,000 fine, or face imprisonment for 40 days or six weeks.