Godfrey Pereira, the 19-year-old facing a prison sentence after admitting to steal a cellphone earlier this month, was yesterday given two years’ probation by the Chief Magistrate after agreeing to a number of conditions, including joining a trade school.
Pereira was remanded to prison on February 9 after he admitted that he had stolen a cellphone from a car he had been tasked with washing. The Samsung Galaxy smartphone was owned by his father’s boss, who would normally use the wash bay where the youngster was employed. After a wash on February 6, the phone was discovered missing when it was returned. Pereira subsequently admitted to the crime.
Lawyer Peter Hugh had made an impromptu appeal on Pereira’s behalf, stating that