A man accused of stealing a bag of boulanger from a farmer was fined $15,000 with an alternative of six months imprisonment by Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle yesterday.
Eshwar Kemraj, 39, of Zeelugt Squatting Area pleaded guilty ‘with explanation’ when the charge was read to him by the magistrate. The man told the court that he was working for the farmer but had not been paid. He said that he picked the boulanger in front of the farmer as payment for the work he had done. Kemraj said that the farmer proceeded to beat him and tied him down on an ants nest for one hour, late in the afternoon. He was then handed over to the police at the Leonora Police Station.
The farmer, who was in court, said that Kemraj never worked for him. He said that he marked his boulanger at the stalk with paint on March 13 and returned the next day to find them gone. Kemraj was picked up with the boulanger in his possession and subsequently charged for the theft. The magistrate told Kemraj that she was being lenient with him since the maximum penalty is 18 months for the offence.
