A woman who was issued a ticket for illegal vending at Seven Mile Public Beach has been fined $500 by the Summary Court.
Doreen June Bodden, who braids hair for tourists, had on a previous occasion pleaded guilty to a single count of carrying on trade/business without a valid licence.
“I am still on the site, but I now have a trade and business licence,” Bodden told Magistrate Philippa McFarlane on Wednesday, 7 June.
The details of how Bodden was ticketed were not read out during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, but she is believed to be one of 17 illegal vendors who were raided in March by officers from the Public Lands Commission in conjunction with the RCIPS, Customs and Border Control, the Department of Commerce and Investment, and Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman.
“The law sets out a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment for this type of offence,” warned McFarlane. “I am not going to fine you the full amount nor will you go to jail, but a sentence must be imposed to deter other likeminded individuals.”
Prosecutor Alexander Barbour told the court that an appropriate fine would be $500 to reflect the level of seriousness set out in the ticket, to which McFarlane agreed.
Bodden was given until the end of June to pay the fine in full.
At the time of the March raid, government officials were grappling with setting out a clear plan that enabled vendors to legally work at the public beach site, while balancing the experience and service offered to tourists.
Government has since provided a streamlined process that allows people to apply for specific types of business licences.
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This is a public beach. There should be no vendors at all. Except perhaps for snacks and cold drinks. It is absolutely wrong that there should be row after row of beach loungers blocking local residents from using the beach.