Brothers fined $20,000 each for disorderly conduct at NMIA

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Two brothers who pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct at an airport were sentenced to pay a fine of $20,000 each or spend 30 days in prison when they appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday.

Alick and Rohan Nugent were answering to charges stemming from an incident that occurred at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) recently.

In their defence, they told Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell that they were trying to help their elderly grandmother board a flight when they were held by policemen.

Alick told the court that their 84-year-old grandmother had been a bit late to catch her flight and when they arrived at NMIA, he went inside to get a wheelchair and was told to carry her in. After seeing her off to her gate he emerged to find his brother arguing with an employee who had clamped their vehicle.

Rohan reportedly protested that he would not pay the fine, but Alick claimed he calmly indicated he would settle the bill and that his brother was the only one arguing.

Police accounts, however, indicated that both men were observed by a policeman acting boisterously, so much so, that the cop was forced to call for backup to calm the men.

One of the men was quoted as saying, “Why unuh nuh go a road make somebody shoot after unuh?”

Both were subsequently arrested.

Despite claiming his brother was the aggressor in the incident, Alick pleaded guilty along with Rohan and both men were sentenced to pay a fine of $20,000 each or spend 30 days in prison.