Members of so-called cult church fined J$1.17m for DRMA breaches
Published:Thursday | October 28, 2021 | 3:29 AM
WESTERN BUREAU:
Thirty-nine of the 41 church members who were arrested at Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries two Sundays ago pleaded guilty to breaches of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) when they appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.
The group, who are now leaderless following the death of disgraced pastor Kevin O. Smith in an automobile crash on Monday, were collectively fined J$1.17 million.
Smith and Andre Ruddock, a reputed bodyguard and loyalist of the pastor, were among those detained by the police in a deadly operation on Sunday, October 17.
Two persons were killed during a ritual and a third slain by the police.
When the 39 who were charged with breaching the DRMA appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday, their presence attracted a crowd of curious onlookers.
Parish Judge Kaysha Grant handed down individual sentences of J$30,000 or 20 days in jail.
Many of the onlookers outside the court were unsympathetic, castigating the members for purportedly being conned into giving Smith their money. The death ritual and Smith’s godlike status have caused the church to be labelled a cult.
“Unnu lucky the judge only fine unnu,” remarked a woman. “Unnu coulda gone pon the ark with His Excellency.”