A man who told the court that he suffers from a sickness which causes him to do “strange things” was charged yesterday with breaking into a church and stealing a quantity of footwear and clothing and was remanded to prison.
The allegation against John Headly is that on March 16 at Georgetown, he broke and entered a Wesleyan church and stole a quantity of footwear and clothing, property of Eldon Anderson.
The defendant who told the court that he lives at De Kinderen Village, West Coast Demerara denied the charge of break and enter and larceny when it was read to him by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
Police Prosecutor Corporal Venetta Pindar told the court that on the day of the incident, the accused was seen by a security guard removing the items from the place of worship. He was later apprehended and charged.
The prosecution made a successful request for the accused to be denied his pre-trial liberty, citing that he has similar pending matters before the court and has provided the police with no fixed place of abode.
When given a chance to respond, the accused told the court: “I gah a sickness that does get me doing some strange things.”
The man then pleaded to the magistrate to be given an opportunity to visit the hospital after crying out for pain.
Moments later, Headly who had been standing in the docks of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court collapsed and began groaning in apparent pain, causing the presiding magistrate to leave the bench.
The man was assisted out of the courtroom by police officers after requesting to use the toilet.
He returns to court on April 6.
