Spanish Town mother fined $300,000 after offering $15,000 bribe to police officer

A 45-year-old Spanish Town resident who tried to pay off a police officer with $15,000 to shield her son from prosecution has been ordered to pay a $300,000 fine or spend 30 days behind bars.

Kadian Anton appeared before a St Catherine parish court on Friday and entered a guilty plea to attempted bribery, while offering an explanation for her actions. She told the court she believed the officer had orchestrated the incident.

"It is he who sent me for the money. That's a setup," Anton said.

Her counsel, Antoinette Wynter-Mignott, urged the judge to show mercy. The attorney described the offence as a moment of poor judgment, saying Anton had been under severe emotional strain after going more than a year without seeing her son.

Wynter-Mignott also noted that Anton had spared the court a lengthy trial by admitting guilt at the earliest opportunity. The defence further secured an order that Anton's fingerprints would not be taken and that no conviction would be placed on her record.

The presiding judge made clear that offering cash to officers in the course of their work was unacceptable. The court then imposed the fine.

Anton expressed gratitude to the bench for what she viewed as lenient treatment.

According to the case facts, on June 14, 2026, Anton was a passenger in a vehicle her son was driving when police pulled the car over for a traffic breach. During the encounter, she is said to have told the officer, "I can give you $15,000 now," and then tried to hand over the money. She was taken into custody and charged with attempted bribery.