Man Faced $524,000 Fine For Unauthorized Container On Property. Fine Reduced.
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By Alric Lindsay
Fritz McPherson, a Caymanian currently serving time in prison for a firearms possession charge, appeared in the Summary Court via video link today, June 10, 2026, to face a charge of to failing to comply with a planning enforcement notice concerning an unauthorized container on his property. During the proceedings, Magistrate McFarlane noted that McPherson could face a fine of $524,000 for the violation. However, this was later reduced.
Regarding the background of the matter, Crown Counsel from the Office of the Director Of Public Prosecutions explained that in July, 2024, a compliance officer from the Department of Planning conducted a site inspection at McPherson’s residence, discovering the container for which no planning permission had been granted. Subsequently, an enforcement notice was served, requiring him to either apply for after-the-fact planning permission or remove the unauthorized structure.
DPP Crown Counsel added that, despite the notice, a revisit to the property in December 2024, confirmed the container was still present. McPherson was eventually brought before the court in April of this year, where he entered a guilty plea. Planning officials confirmed that the container was finally removed in March 2026, marking 524 days of non-compliance.
Magistrate McFarlane underscored the severity of the offence, noting that the statutory penalty for such violations is $1,000 for each day of non-compliance, in addition to a $5,000 base fine. This could have resulted in a staggering maximum fine of $524,000 for the daily penalties alone.
However, taking into account McPherson’s current circumstances, including his incarceration, and assessing his culpability as moderate and harm as low, Magistrate McFarlane reduced the daily rate to $25. This brought the fine to $13,100 ($25 x 524 days), which, combined with the $5,000 fixed fine, totalled $18,100.
Although McPherson’s guilty plea was not entered at an early stage, the court granted him a one-third discount ($6,000), reducing the final fine to $12,000. Magistrate McFarlane stipulated that this fine must be paid within six months of his release from prison in a few years. Failure to do so will result in an additional six months’ imprisonment.
During the proceedings, McPherson briefly stated that he had submitted a planning application while incarcerated and had removed the container to halt the court proceedings. The court emphasized that while the container has been removed, the prolonged period of non-compliance warranted a substantial penalty.
