A 40-year-old labourer was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court to answer the charge of damage to property.
The allegation is that on Monday in Georgetown, Eon Jones of 172 Campbell Street, Albouystown damaged one refrigerator valued $53,000, property of Devon Lowe.
Jones initially pleaded guilty to the charge but the magistrate later entered a not guilty plea for him after listening to his explanation.
When given a chance to respond, the defendant told the court that on the day in question he was walking along the road when he noticed the refrigerator dumped on the parapet. Believing it to be “trash,” Jones said he proceeded to take it away. It was at this point that the magistrate entered a not guilty plea for him.
The defendant also told the court that since he is “in the copper metal business,” he decided to take the refrigerator to be stripped of its copper and other useful metals. Jones said that just as he had begun moving the “old” refrigerator from the side of the road the virtual complainant along with a group of other men approached and began raining blows on him.
Addressing the court, the Virtual Complainant said that the defendant waited and seized the moment when he was not at home to break into the bottom flat of his premises from where he stole the refrigerator, took it to the corner of the road and stripped it of its copper.
The defendant was later remanded to prison. He is to return to Court Two next Tuesday.
