Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson yesterday remanded an 18-year-old boy on a break-and-enter charge after hearing how a chase ended up in a trench with the accused having to be pulled out along with a stolen laptop.
Omar Alli of Cummings Street, South Cummingsburg pleaded not guilty to the charges of burglary and simple larceny.
He denied that on the night of February 21, he broke and entered the home of Annette Bynoe and stole a television valued $250,000 and a laptop computer valued $150,000.
He also denied that on the same night be stole a generator valued $80,000, also the property of Bynoe.
His lawyer Sasha Roberts made a bail application on his behalf on the grounds that he is an orphan and a shopkeeper. The counsel noted that the owner of the shop that his client operates had never complained before of anything going missing.
She stated that although her client had been previously charged for a similar offence he had never been convicted since the charge was dismissed.
She stated that according to information gathered on the day of the incident her client had just finished assisting a woman in relocating and was walking along Vlissengen Road when a group of boys who were armed with several lengths of wood and a spanner attacked him while accusing him of breaking into a woman’s home. She said that her client ran into the Federal Management Systems compound for safety.
However, Prosecutor Stephen Telford refuted the defence’s side of the incident.
He stated that on February 21 at about 23:30 hours Alli broke into Bynoe’s home and carted off the laptop computer while he handed the television to an accomplice. However, Bynoe’s son saw them, raised and alarm and gave chase after the fleeing duo.
Telford stated that the accomplice dropped the television in a clump of bushes and fled while Alli jumped into a nearby trench with the laptop.
He said that a policeman on the scene had to order Alli to come out of the trench and he complied. He was then arrested and the laptop which was left in the trench was later fished out.
He objected to the bail application on the grounds that Alli is known to the court for committing such offences and if released he was likely to continue committing similar offences. He also stated that Alli may also flee the jurisdiction.
The magistrate then refused bail for Alli and ordered that the matter be transferred to Court Ten for March 2.