Barely three months after having three charges against her dismissed, 18-year-old Tenza Lane now faces imprisonment after admitting that she stole more than $1M from her partner.
Lane, of 606 Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry charged with stealing US$5,000 from Richard Edie on April 20 at the man’s Barima Avenue home. Lane pleaded guilty to the charge.
When given an opportunity to explain herself, Lane said that she had indeed taken the money but had returned the majority of the cash. She explained that she had been taken to the Kitty Police Station on the date in question and Edie had counted the money, only to discover $20,000 had been missing.
He enquired where the missing money had gone and Lane told him that she had spent it on clothing. She subsequently returned the clothing as compensation along with two photographs of herself to appease Edie. She added that she had been let go “’cause they didn’t want no problems with me”.
However, she went on to say, she was approached by Edie on Wednesday while she was with her sister and was forcedly asked where the money she owed him was.
She denied owing him anything and an argument ensued between the two. They were later taken to a police station where she was charged.
Clad in pink shorts and a pink t-shirt, Lane said that she had tried to explain the entire situation to the officers at the station but they had refused to listen to her.
According to the police’s case, Lane and the 45-year-old Edie had been in a brief relationship when, on the date in question, the young woman was visiting the man when he left her in his sitting room.
He had reportedly gone to recover some clothing he had promised her. He later discovered the large quantity of cash missing.
Prosecutor Michael Grant raised no objections to bail and told the court that US$4,300 had been recovered.
When asked whether she would be able to post bail herself, Lane said that she could not. Instead, she said, a relative would be able to. Hence, the unemployed woman’s bail was set at $100,000.
A probation report was also ordered for Lane, who will return on August 8, when her fate will be decided.
In March, Lane was charged with two counts of threatening behaviour and one count of unlawful assault towards Samuel Hinds Jnr. and the man’s fiancée and Lane’s sister, Sonia Herbert. Hinds was also charged with assaulting Lane.
Lane was subsequently found not guilty of the offences in April.
During the woman’s trial, Hinds had claimed that the altercation had stemmed from the theft of his cellphone by Lane.
