St Catherine woman fined $50,000 for stealing electricity

St Catherine, Jamaica — A woman accused of stealing electricity was fined $50,000 after pleading guilty Tuesday to a charge of abstracting electricity when she appeared in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate’s Court.

Donna Francis will serve three months in prison if the fine is not paid.

Francis was arrested and charged on November 11, in an ongoing effort by the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to clamp down on electricity theft across the island.

She was nabbed after identifying herself as the occupant of a St Catherine dwelling where representatives of the light and power company, along with the police, discovered the illegal connections.

The court was told Tuesday that Francis was operating two light bulbs, two fans, a television set and a refrigerator on the illegal connection.

She was ordered to give her fingerprint to the police.