A teenager who stole two buckets of pickled pig’s tail from a wholesale where he was employed, claiming he was not being paid by his boss, is to know his fate in the new year.
A sentencing date was scheduled for February 26, after the teenager pleaded guilty to simple larceny in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on Christmas Eve before Resident Magistrate (RM) Vaughn Smith.
The teenager was charged along with two other men, 21-year-old Davere Palmer and 41-year-old Richard McPherson, both of Kew Road in Kingston. However, the two accused were subsequently freed of simple larceny after the teenager told the court that they were not involved in the theft of the goods.
The court heard that on December 19, at 6:45 pm, the three men were held in a Nissan motor car with two buckets of meat, valued at $15,000, after they were stopped by security guards leaving the compound of Garmex Free Zone on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston.
The men were questioned about the goods and could not give a good account of how they came to be in possession of the items. The police were called and the men were all arrested and charged.
The teenager, when cautioned, admitted to stealing the meat and told the police: “ Offisa, mi work wid di man but him nah pay me.”
Palmer when cautioned said: “Me nuh know nutten bout it,” while McPherson said: “Offisa, a Johnny call mi out a mi bed fi pick him up.”
On Thursday when the teenager appeared in court he told the magistrate that he acted alone and that the men were not aware of the theft.
“I took the buckets of pig’s tail from in the day and hide them in the rubbish, and then in the evening mi go back fi dem and mi call dem and tell dem say mi have a pass and that dem fi come help mi pick up something,” the teenager told the court.
The magistrate accepted the teenager’s plea and his explanation and, as result, a no-order ruling was made against his two co-accused, while his bail was extended for him to return to court in February for his sentencing.
A probation officer was consequently instructed to prepare a social enquiry report.
Alleged drug mule spends Christmas in jail
A 58-year-old woman who reportedly tried to leave the island for The Bahamas with a quantity of cocaine in her belly and some in her private parts was remanded when she appeared in court on Christmas Eve.
Patricia Barnett, an informal commercial importer of Portmore, St Catherine, was arrested at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, on December 11 and subsequently charged with possession of cocaine, dealing in cocaine, and taking steps to export cocaine.
According to allegations, on the day in question the accused checked in at the airport to board a flight destined for Nassau.
She was stopped and during security procedures it was reportedly discovered that she had drugs in her possession.
A quantity of cocaine pellets was reportedly removed from her vagina. Barnett was then taken to the Kingston Public Hospital where she reportedly expelled 92 cocaine pellets.
On Thursday when she appeared in court, the prosecutor informed the court that the police had not yet received the forensic report and were unable to provide the court with the weight of the drugs.
Barnett was subsequently remanded and is scheduled to return to court on January 14.
Student gets bail on rape charge just in time for Christmas
A tertiary level student was hauled before the court on sex charges following allegations that he raped a university student after she went to his house for a visit.
The 21-year-old accused, who is facing charges of indecent assault, rape and forcible abduction, was granted $200,000 bail when he appeared in court on Christmas Eve.
The young man was offered bail by RM Smith following a successful bail application by attorney Oswest Senior-Smith.
Smith, during his application, denied the allegations.
“The encounter was entirely consensual. There was no force, no taking advantage of the complainant,” he said.
The lawyer told the court that his client has known the complainant for over eight years and that their friendship started when she visited his home community in Clarendon during the summer holidays.
However, he said they lost contact but later reacquainted, and on the day in question the complainant had made arrangements to visit his client but because of phone issues they had not confirmed the meeting, but the complainant nevertheless showed up.
Added to that, Smith told the court that on the day when the complainant visited, his client was at his home with his housemate.
The accused was offered bail on condition that he reports to the police on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The youngster is scheduled to return to court on February 26.
Alleged robber remanded in custody for Christmas
A man who reportedly went onto a school compound and robbed a woman of her purse containing $42,000 was remanded when he appeared in court on Tuesday.
Sean Morgan, of Woodpecker Avenue in Kingston, was remanded after he pleaded not guilty to simple robbery.
The court heard that on December 7, about 7:15 pm, the accused went onto the school compound on Molynes Road, in Kingston and robbed the woman of her purse.
An alarm was raised and the accused was reportedly mobbed and beaten and subsequently taken into custody and charged.
Morgan is scheduled to return to court on February 3.