Senior citizen sentenced to over 2 years in prison
Potter (right) and his Haitian co-accused, Luc Eloi.
Carwill Potter, the 72-year-old man charged with two Immigration-related offences has been sentenced to prison.
During his sentencing hearing recently, Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards ordered Potter to spend 30 months at Her Majesty’s Prison for smuggling 21 illegal immigrants into the territory.
Magistrate Richards also sentenced Potter to eight months imprisonment for illegal entry.
The court ruled that the sentences run concurrently. That effectively means that Potter will only serve a maximum prison term of two-and-a-half years.
During a previous appearance in court, the senior citizen claimed he committed the crimes to ‘raise a few dollars’.
What happened
It is reported that on August 12 last year, Anguillan authorities held and deported Potter who was wanted by BVI authorities.
Following his deportation to the BVI, local law enforcers kept him in custody on suspicion of the aforementioned offences.
The court heard that Potter subsequently participated in an identification parade.
During the ID parade, the illegal immigrants positively identified him as the boat captain who smuggled them to the island of Virgin Gorda last April.
He was subsequently charged.
Potter’s alleged co-captain
Another man is also before the court in connection with the offence. He has been identified Luc Eloi of Haiti.
The Haitian is accused of being the co-captain in the smuggling operation. However, he denied the accusations when he first appeared in court last year.
Eloi is scheduled stand trial.
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So strange the locals always say outsiders coming in and taking away their country ..but look what the locals doing breaking the law and still bringing in people .
Oh be quiet!
So you want that person to be quiet hmmm i see down island is right
@ Hush…this is what is wrong with the BVI…when their people do wrong…there is no accountability…that’s why there is no transparence and no good governance….all these put holes in your leaky ship and that is why this leaky ship is sinking…SMH
It’s bigger than that “Down Island”. Try stop the divisiveness. We don’t need that. The need becomes a greed. Ablative smugglers and arrangers are local and foreign as this case demonitrates. There is still a bigger issue lurking and operating in the BVI.
WOW! Look how this was hush hush because it was a born “indigenous” BVIslander doing it…where is the headline BVIslander convicted of smuggling illegal immigrants in Territory?? So he get 2.5 years as the master mind…let’s see what the Haitian alleged co-conspirator get…10 years?? I just won’t be surprised if the Haitan gets more than 2.5 years if he is convicted.
This is considered Human Trafficking and they really give this man 2 years? Amazed!!!!
@ The Nation#1. GI hide under the Rick from whence you came.
Carwill, at 72, you should be free and enjoying the coming years instead of being locked up like a cage animal. This is allegedly not your first rodeo so apparently you enjoy being locked up … You did the crime so you got to do the time. Nonetheless, put the next 2.5 years to good use; ask God to give you the strength and will to change your life and behaviour. If you don’t want to do it for you, do it for your family. They too are aging so save them the pain and shame.