By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 57-year-old Belize City man walked out of court with a fine after misleading the court into believing he was a first-time offender, despite having multiple prior drug-related convictions.
Horace Steve Cadle, who sometimes goes by Horace and other times goes as Steve, of the Taylor’s Alley area, appeared before a Magistrate in Court #3 this week, where he was charged with possession of utensils used for smoking a controlled drug. Cadle pleaded guilty and told the court it was his first offense involving a crack pipe.
However, it was later revealed that Cadle had previous convictions for similar offenses, including a prior case in October 2025 in which he was fined for possession of a crack pipe and had also served jail time for unpaid fines.
Due to the absence of updated antecedents at the time of his arraignment, the court was unaware of Cadle’s criminal history and accepted his statement as a first-time offender. This oversight allowed him to receive a more lenient, non-custodial sentence.
For the latest offense, Cadle was fined $300 plus $5 in court costs, totaling $305. He has until June 30, 2026, to pay the fine, in default of which he will serve three months in prison.
The discrepancy in court records has raised concerns about gaps in the system that may allow repeat offenders to evade stricter penalties.
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By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 57-year-old Belize City man walked out of court with a fine after misleading the court into believing he was a first-time offender, despite having multiple prior drug-related convictions. Horace Steve Cadle, who sometimes goes by Horace and other times goes as Steve, of the Taylor’s Alley area, appeared before
The post Man gets lighter sentence for crack possession after giving court wrong name and lying about being first-time offender appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
