A West End Development Corporation (Wedco) tenant was told to ?put her money where her mouth was? and pay nearly $9,000 in unpaid rent to her landlord.

Magistrate Tyrone Chin ordered Carla Crockwell to pay the money to court by May 17. ?You have an outstanding balance of $8,925 you are unlawfully with-holding from Wedco,? Mr. Chin said.

?A lot of rent has been withheld but you got the benefit of housing. It may not be to the standard you like but you are not homeless. Wedco is not a very, very high end landlord. It?s a quango to house people. We are not talking Tucker?s Town or back of town, but a reasonable standard of living.?

Mr. Chin also ordered her to return to court on May 19. ?I have women and men in here every day who say they will pay and walk out with no intention of paying,? he said. ?I want the walk and talk all in unison.?

Wedco?s lawyer Anthony Richardson said Ms Crockwell owed $11,735.87 in unpaid rent at $1,275 a month from August 2005, however, Ms Crockwell said she owed just seven months rent from November 2005.

Ms Crockwell wanted to start a Magistrates? Court trial to prove Wedco should pay her $2,086 compensation for kitchen, bathroom, windows and plumbing repairs conducted at the Wedco property at Cochrane Road, Sandys home. However, Mr. Chin said trials cost time and money and gave the parties a chance to reach a settlement out of court. ?If we start a trial. It is very tedious. I say cast your bread upon the water,? Mr. Chin said. ?Everyone will come out losers if you go to trial on this one.?

He ordered them to leave the court and try to reach an amicable solution.

But when Ms Crockwell and Wedco?s lawyer Anthony Richardson returned five minutes later, Mr. Chin reminded the parties not to ?dig their heels in? as the matter ?could be settled quite easily?.

An hour later an agreement still had not been reached. In that time, Mr. Chin found a July 3, 2002 court order by then-Magistrate Edward King that said Ms Crockwell must start rent payments from that date and not withhold rent any more.

?I want some finality to this case. Mr. King called you a ?stumbling block? years ago. I think it?s time I put your feet to the fire,? he said. ?This court has to think of mitigating circumstances. You cannot make a bad situation and take advantage of it. You can?t sit on a loss.

?What goes around comes around,? Mr. Chin said. ?If you come to court you must come with clean hands. Put your money where your mouth is.?