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Beenie Man Pleads Guilty To DRMA Breach After Illegal Party

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Beenie Man

Dancehall veteran Beenie Man has pleaded guilty to a breach of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) following an illegal party.  The artist, whose real name is Moses Davis, appeared in the Black River Parish Court in St. Elizabeth this morning.

“Beenie Man pleaded guilty to the breach of the DRMA order, and we will be going back to court on May 14th to make a final plea in mitigation. On that date, Beenie Man will be sentenced, and he is likely to be fined. We will now have the opportunity to lay out the circumstances why it should not be a heavy fine,” attorney-at-law Roderick Gordon, who is representing Beenie Man in this matter, told DancehallMag.

A second charge for breach of the Noise Abatement Act was dismissed after the 47-year-old deejay pleaded not guilty.

“We had regarded the Noise Abatement Act charge as the more significant one because it suggested he had not applied for a permit, suggesting he was somehow having music played without proper permission and without paying the fee and that is not the case, so we were very pleased that the Crown withdrew that charge,” Mr. Gordon said.

Beenie Man was slapped with the two charges in connection to an illegal party in the Shrewsbury district, in the St. Elizabeth parish on November 29. The Black River police turned up at the party, dispersed the crowd, and Beenie was warned for prosecution.

The 47-year-old singer’s promotion of a subsequent New Year’s Eve party in December further earned the ire of police in the St Elizabeth Parish. He was summoned to a Police Station in the parish on January 1, where he was charged for breaching protocols with the November 29 party.

Speaking with reporters outside court today, Beenie Man said he was satisfied with the outcome of the case.  “Well the outcome alright, becaz mi neva wan get charge fi the music.  I wish mi neva get charge fi di music. ”

“Them say the gathering under covid law is against the law….Mi nuh wah nobody fi feel like mi above the law so we affi deal wid dat right and mek Jamaica feel safe and mek di people dem know dat we are wid dem.”

“Dat ah di law, dah ah di law..so wi plead guilty to that,” he added.

The DRMA was amended by the House of Representatives on March 23 and individuals found in breach of the health protocols now face fines ranging from $3,000 to $500,000.  A $10,000 fine is imposed for failure to stay inside a place of residence during a curfew.

Entertainers Fantan Mojah and Elephant Man are also before the court on similar charges.

Meanwhile, Beenie Man will be releasing his upcoming album Simma this Summer.

“We are releasing 14 tracks, but we might put on bonus tracks so it may be between 16 to 18 if we decide to do that. We plan to tour the album when the pandemic is over and live shows return in the US and Europe,” manager Rohan ‘Blue’ Smith had previously told DancehallMag.

VP Records will distribute Simma, the Girl Dem Sugar’s 19th studio album.