MIKHAIL Rodrigues, the man who went viral on social media after breaking off a parking clamp from his vehicle with a sledgehammer, walked out of the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Friday, after the charge of fraudulent conversion against him was dismissed.

Rodrigues, 36, of Coldingen, East Coast Demerara, made his first appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on March 30, 2017 and was released on $200,000 bail after he denied that on August 11, 2015, while being entrusted by Raghubeer Paul with motor van GJJ 4976 valued $2.2M, converted it to his own use.

During his second court appearance on Friday, complainant explained to the court that he does not wish to pursue the matter against Rodrigues and is willing to accept his canter truck in return.

As such, the Chief Magistrate dismissed charge against the Regent Street businessman. She also ordered him to pay $8,000 to the court or four weeks imprisonment.

The Chief Magistrate also ordered that the canter be returned to Paul.  Rodrigues became famous on social media as the ‘sledgehammer man’ when he was captured on video breaking off a parking clamp from his vehicle with a sledgehammer.

His activism is widely known with the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM), which held several protests in the city for the parking meter contract to be scrapped.