”WHICH IS RIGHT” SAID DI TEEF

A man who reportedly grabbed a woman by her throat and stole her phone caused laughter in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court after he claimed that he did not assault the woman and rob her phone, he simply took it from her hands.
The court heard that Shevon Letts trailed the woman on his motorcycle to a bus stop. He grabbed her by her throat from behind and tried to take her Samsung Galaxy phone.
The woman resisted, but was reportedly punched her in her face, after which the accused man took the phone.
However, the complainant raised an alarm and he was chased, held and beaten before being handed over to the police. Letts was later charged with robbery with aggravation.
But last Wednesday, when he appeared in court, he strongly denied the allegations despite pleading guilty to the charge.
“Nuh throat grabbing never gwaan, and me neva ave nuh bike,” he said.
“So how you come by the woman’s phone?” asked Magistrate Simone Wolfe-Reece.
“I was at the bus stop and she was at the bus stop and I saw her with the phone in her hand and I took it from her,” Letts replied firmly, eliciting laughter from the court.
Letts then tried to justify his actions by implying that hard times had led him to rob the woman.
“Really and truly, a nuh my style that, but tru me nah mek nuh money and me live wid a woman and me son and more 8/5/2014 she all a call police on me,” he said.
“Yu see wa a gwaan?” he next said to the judge, an apparent query if she understood what he had just explained.
“No, I don’t see wa a gwaan,” the judge replied. “What all that has to do with the woman’s phone? People in Jamaica must be able to have their things and be able to walk comfortable with the things.”
“Which is right,” Letts interject, eliciting more laughter.
But the magistrate was not amused, and told him not to try and justify his action.
Letts was then ordered to serve six months in prison.
— Tanesha Mundle