‘Ele’ in airport drama
SELF-PROCLAIMED Energy God, Elephant Man, appears to be running out of steam when it comes to court appearances.
According to his lawyers, the entertainer is growing tired of the postponement of the proceedings in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court in Half-way-tree.
“We’re feeling a little frustrated at this point. Certainly, we would have liked to have the footage so we could have a discussion with him [Elephant Man], in relation to the matter. Now those discussions are delayed... They are promising to give us the footage on February 2 2021,” attorney Christopher Townsend told the Jamaica Observer after the deejay’s court appearance on November 16.
“We are still traumatised because we didn’t get the footage. The police officer said up until now, he’s unable to obtain the footage from the Sangster International Airport. So we are quite concerned as to whether or not, if it was that the prosecution required it, if they would have still stalled?” he continued.
The deejay and his attorney appeared before chief judge of the parish courts Chester Crooks on September 4. Prior to that, the April 24 court appearance was virtual.
Elephant Man is charged with breaching Section 8 (5) of the Immigration Act, which mandates people arriving in Jamaica to make a truthful declaration to immigration personnel. The fine, according to precedent, is $100.
According to the police report, Elephant
Man (given name Oneal Bryan) and his team reportedly toured Europe but did not declare the countries visited on arrival at the airport, which is an immigration requirement.
At the time, the Jamaican Government had put in place safety measures at ports of entry should persons who travelled outside the country contract COVID-19.
Days after the alleged incident, the former Scare Dem Crew member issued a video apologising for what he called a “misunderstanding” at the airport.