A 22-year-old man, who was charged and released on bail for stealing his friend’s cell phone in April 2019, was on Friday sentenced to six months imprisonment after confessing to the charge.
The man, who gave his name as Akeem Bennett of Supply, East Bank Demerara, was arrested on June 20, 2019, after a wanted bulletin was issued for him since he hasn’t been attending court.
On April 18, 2019, Bennett made his first appearance before the Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, and was charged for stealing a cellphone, valued $85,000, from Travis Ramphal on April 14th, at Seawall Road, Georgetown.
He was granted bail in the sum of $10,000; the bail in fact posted by the same friend he stole from.
Bennett, after being granted bail, failed to show up in court for hearing in the matter on several occasions, which caused the Chief Magistrate to ask the Police to issue an arrest warrant for him.
On June 20, 2019, Bennet was arrested at Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara and placed before the court on Friday.
Police Prosecutor, Gordon Mansfield on Friday, while addressing the court explained that the accused had given a fake name to the Police and the court.
When questioned about his reasons for not attending court, the defendant said that he did not have money to repay the victim.
As such, he opted to plead guilty to the charge now to save time.
“Your smartness outsmarts you,” the Chief Magistrate told the man as she handed down the six months sentence.
“In sentencing you, I’m still being lenient because you’re a young man and I don’t want to make you into a criminal” the Magistrate further explained.
According to reports, Ramphal and Bennett were on April 14, 2019 at the seawall liming together. Ramphal unlocked his car remotely and sent Bennett into his car to get a pack of cigarettes, but he never returned.
Ramphal became worried after his friend did not return and went to his car to see what was wrong.
When he went to his car, he discovered that his cell phone was missing. The matter was reported to the police and Bennett was later arrested.
