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Case details

Chandra Silochan and another (Appellants) v Rickie Cedeno (Respondent) (Trinidad and Tobago)

Case ID: JCPC 2022/0002

Jurisdiction: Court of Appeal of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Case summary

Issue

Whether the Appellants’ convictions should stand; in the alternative, whether the Appellants’ sentences should stand.

Facts

In October 2008 the Respondent, a Development Control Inspector, laid a complaint against the Appellants in the Magistrates’ Court complaining that from January to August 2008 the Appellants did not remove from their land a building in respect of which a planning enforcement notice had been served in November 2005.

The Magistrates found the Appellants guilty and fined them over $800,000. In default of payment of the fine, the Appellants were sentenced to two years of hard labour.

The Court of Appeal allowed the Appellants’ appeal in part, including by substituting the hard labour requirement in the default sentence with a term of two years simple imprisonment.

Parties

Appellant(s)

(1) Chandra Silochan, (2) Ingrid Silochan

Respondent(s)

Rickie Cedeno

Appeal

Justices

Lord Reed, Lord Kitchin, Lord Hamblen, Lord Stephens, Lord Lloyd–Jones

Hearing start date

13 June 2022

Hearing finish date

13 June 2022

 
Watch hearing
13 June 2022 Morning session Afternoon session
 

Judgment details

Judgment date

2 February 2023

Neutral citation

[2023] UKPC 5