After denying that he snatched a Samsung Galaxy cellphone from a Stabroek Market vendor, a man was on Wednesday placed on $50,000 bail.
The charge against Akeem Northe stated that on October 3, at the Stabroek Market, he stole the cellphone, valued $80,000, and which was the property of Vanessa Greene.
Northe, 23, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read to him by Magistrate Geeta Chandon-Edmond in Georgetown.
Paul Fung-A-Fat, his attorney, requested that bail be set at a reasonable sum. He told the court that his client works in the interior and sometimes assists his mother, who is also a vendor at the Stabroek Market.
According to Fung-A-Fat, Northe was arrested and released on bail on the same day, which was one day before his arraignment although Greene’s phone was missing many days before. He added that the cellphone that Northe had was the property of his brother and when Greene saw the phone at the police station and realised that it was a different colour from hers, she claimed that he snatched the phone from her.
Fung-A-Fat further questioned why Northe wasn’t arrested earlier since he has been passing Greene’s stall for about three weeks on a daily basis before his arrest.
But Prosecutor Jomo Nichols, in presenting the police’s case, told the court that Greene was in her stall sending messages on her cellphone when Northe approached her, snatched her cellphone and made good his escape. Nichols added that Greene clearly identified Northe with her cellphone on October 21, and pointed him out to the police, after which he was subsequently arrested and charged.
After considering the submissions made by both sides, the Magistrate set bail at $50,000 bail. Northe was ordered to return to court on November 4.
