A 28-year-old carpenter pleaded guilty to the charge of simple larceny when he appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson on Wednesday last.
On January 31, Shawn Yhun of 37 Princes Street, Lodge stole $500,000, US$80, £100 and a .25 pistol belonging to Mericeth Cummings.
However Yhun told the court that he had just exited a bus on Regent Street when he saw a bag lying on the road at the corner of Regent and King streets.It was partly opened, he said, and contained a bottle of juice and cheese. According to him, he took the bag into his possession and went off. He was later apprehended on Sheriff Street and charged for the offence.
Yhun said that the bag did not contain the items mentioned in the charge. “My worship, I just see juice and cheese in de bag, but I decide fuh plead guilty cause I gat a lil two-month-old baby fuh mine an me really ain’t want a long story over dis matter. I gun tek responsibility cause I shoulda never pick up de bag in de first place, but de devil is a really busy man.”
According to Police Prosecutor Sherwin Matthews, on the day in question the virtual complainant left the bag containing the items mentioned in the charge and went to Charlotte Street to collect some snacks and discovered that her bag was missing when she returned.
The magistrate told Yhun not to take things that did not belong to him since according to her, “you picked up trouble.” Yhun vowed that never again would he get himself involved in such an act. He said he was a very religious man as he went to church every Sunday.
He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.
The magistrate told him that if he behaved himself there is a possibility that he will only spend nine months.
When the sentence was handed down, Yhun got down on his knees and thanked the magistrate for her mercy since the maximum sentence for the offence is three years. As he was being escorted out of the court Yhun kept shouting to the magistrate “God bless yuh.”
