By Roy Sanford, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
RETIRED AMERICAN professor Barbara O'Conner, was sentenced in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday to 30 days in prison and fined $12,000 for attempting to export half-a-pound of ganja out of the island.
She was fined and sentenced by Resident Magistrate for St. James, Valrie Stephens, despite pleas from her attorney, Natalie Messado-Brown, that O'Conner was suffering from a number of illnesses that were having a great impact on her mental condition.
Mrs. Messado-Brown presented the court with documents that she said was from a doctor who had been treating O'Conner for 10 years. She said the documents show that her client was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, attention deficit disorder, substance abuse, rheumatism and other maladies.
Mrs. Messado-Brown further stated that the documents show that O'Conner has been unable to work for an extended period because of her illnesses and needs a number of medicines that are unavailable in Jamaica in order for her to function properly. She said the lack of medication has made O'Conner behave in an impulsive and destructive manner and has contributed to thoughts of suicide.
O'Conner's doctor has recommended, she said, that it would be in the best interest of defendant if she is returned to the United States as soon as possible in order to receive the proper treatment required. In handing down her ruling, the RM said she was taking into account all Mrs. Messado-Brown told the court but insisted there were facilities in place to get her medicine to Jamaica.
O'Conner was arrested at the Sangster International Airport on December 17 when the police found a quantity of ganja in her handbag. She had checked in to board a Northwest Airlines flight to Memphis, Tennessee. The incident occurred just one day after she was fined $28,000 and after receiving a six months at hard labour sentence that was suspended for one year for attempting to export 2.5 lb of ganja out of the island.
She was previously arrested on November 19 at the airport where she was booked to board a flight to Nashville, Tennessee.
In previous court appearances O'Conner had pleaded guilty 'by reason of insanity' and said she could not get well because of her prison conditions.
