Popcaan Fined For Noise Abatement Violation At Unruly Fest

Dancehall artist Andrae ‘Popcaan’ Sutherland has been ordered to pay a J$40,000 fine (approximately $255USD) or face 30 days in jail for violating the island’s Noise Abatement Act during his Unruly Fest event in St. Thomas last December.

The fine, handed down in St Thomas Parish Court on Friday (Febarary 9), concludes the Silence deejay’s legal proceedings stemming from the concert.

Last month, he pleaded guilty to using indecent language, disorderly conduct, and making threats to police officers during the event, and received a J$6,000 fine (approximately $40 USD) for those offenses.

The initial incident involved a verbal altercation between Popcaan and law enforcement officials who intervened to shut down the event shortly before 5:00 AM, exceeding its permitted duration. The artist’s outburst led to the additional charges.

While Popcaan has not issued a public statement regarding the verdicts, his attorney Matthew Hyatt previously told reporters that his client has taken accountability for his actions.

“We explained (to the) Court that we are taking responsibility for actions, and that Mr. Sutherland is a great member of St. Thomas. He has held Unruly Fest for several years— this is his third staging— attracting over 6000 persons per staging,” Hyatt said.

“It is unfortunate that the event was ended in the manner that it was. But of course, tempers flared and emotions ran high and in the initial outset, he said, ‘manners and respect’ to the police officers.”

Popcaan was last before the courts on several traffic violations in November 2021. He was slapped with a $10,000 fine after pleading guilty in the Yallahs Traffic Court in St Thomas.

The deejay also has a lawsuit against the Attorney General over an allegedly defamatory Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) press release. In September 2023, his attorney, Bert Samuels, told DancehallMag that his team had opted to go the route of mediation in that matter.