A 52-year-old housewife, who allegedly stole over $750,000 in articles from a house she was asked to take care of, appeared in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Volda Primo called Uranie Hohenkirk of Lot 600 East La Penitence pleaded not guilty to the charge of simple larceny and was subsequently released on $150,000 bail by Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle.
It is alleged that between November 11 and 21 last, Primo stole cell phones, clothing, household articles and mechanical tools totalling $767,000 property of Joyce Thomas.
Attorney-at-law Adrian Thompson who entered an appearance for Primo told the court that the two were good friends.
He said the complainant would usually go away and leave the keys to her home with his client so she could turn the lights on and off. During the period mentioned in the charge, he added, the complainant went into the interior and when she returned the articles were missing.
According to the lawyer, his client went to the police station and was released on station bail pending the outcome of the investigation. She was later told that she was being charged.
Thompson told the court that police had said they found no sign of forced entry into the house and because his client had the keys, she had to be charged. He added that his client suffers from hypertension and the police had to take her to the doctor for medication while she was in custody.
He then asked for her to be granted reasonable bail later adding that she was not a flight risk and would go back to court to defend herself.
Meanwhile, Thomas, who was present in court, said that only the two of them had access to the house. According to the woman, she went to the United States in the middle of September last year, following the death of her mother. She said she left her house keys with Primo instructing her to just open the house “so that air could pass through” and then lock it up back.
Thomas said when she returned she handed her friend $7,000. She said too that she had two suitcases with some items of clothing and caps, which she intended to sell. She said she later went into the interior, which was when the items went missing. “She was the only person with the keys,” Thomas said.
Asking for bail to be refused, Police Prosecutor Denise Griffith said that after the articles were discovered missing Thomas called the defendant over to discuss the matter but she refused.
It was at this stage, Griffith said, that Thomas went to the police.
The magistrate subsequently granted bail and adjourned the matter to January 25 in Court Six.
