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Chief Magistrate to decide fate of teenaged cell phone thief

Feb 08, 2014 News

 
A teenager charged with a cellular phone theft will have his fate decided by the Chief Magistrate later this month, even though he confessed to the crime yesterday.
Following stirring pleas of a prominent lawyer who appeared amicus on the teen’s behalf, Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry instructed that she will hand down her decision on February 27 after she receives a probation report for 19-year-old Godfrey Pereira.
The teen was charged with larceny from the person; a crime which carries a three-year jail term.
The young man told the Chief Magistrate that he did steal Ronnie Hooper’s $120,000 Samsung Galaxy from his car two days ago but asked to explain his actions.
Inspector Michael Grant, the prosecutor, said that “on the day in question, about 10:00 hours, the defendant’s father took the virtual complainant’s car to the car wash.”
The Prosecution specified that the Hooper’s cellular phone was left in the car but when the car was returned to him he noticed that it was gone. As such the man lodged a report at a police station.
“Acting on information received, police ranks went to the defendant’s home, searched it and the cellular phone was found therein,” the Inspector explained.
The court heard that the teenager was arrested and subsequently charged with the crime.
Pereira indicated that the report was accurate but asked the Magistrate “I cyan guh pun bail or nothing?”
Noting his confusion, the Chief Magistrate asked Attorney at Law Peter Hugh to appear amicus on his behalf.
After a few minutes of consultation with the lawyer the teenager addressed the Chief Magistrate saying “Sorry ma worship. It won’t happen again. I made a mistake.”
Joining him, Hugh said “I suppose he is nineteen and I’m asking the court to be lenient. The reality is if he goes to Camp Street, he will come out a hardened criminal. Yes he has done something wrong but if he serves time he would surely graduate to something worse.”
Hugh continued “Madam, it is a serious offence…I’m asking for a Probation report or for him to fall in the hands of some organisation which would help him reform.”
The lawyer said, “In the meantime, let him go to Camp Street and get a taste of what it is like.”
In response, the Chief Magistrate ordered that the cellular phone be photographed and returned to its owner who had asked for it during the proceeding. She said that it was just in case he decided to change his plea.
She requested a Social Worker who was in the courtroom to prepare a probation report for Pereira’s next court date.

 

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