Damion Bailey, accused of trying to uplift a smartphone at a city store by pretending he was sent by Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali, yesterday claimed he was mistakenly identified by store workers.
It is alleged that Bailey, 39, on January 29, at Georgetown, with intent to commit a felony, went to A&M Electronics, where he knowingly pretended that he had been sent by Minister Ali to collect a $120,000 Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone.
Police had said Bailey was arrested after he called the store while pretending to be the minister and claimed he had lost his phone and was sending his driver to uplift a Samsung smart phone.
However, Bailey, a computer programmer of Lot 336 Craig, East Bank Demerara, explained to city magistrate Fabayo Azore that he had taken his cellphone to A&M Electronics to be repaired and upon his return to uplift the device, employees accused him of the impersonation.
He said the police were called in and he was charge with a crime he knew nothing about. “I carry my phone to fix and the store people call the police and seh I pretending to be the minister driver so I could collect he phone,” Bailey said.
As a result of his explanation, the court entered a not guilty plea for him.
Last November, Bailey, who at the time was a former Ministry of Home Affairs employee, was charged for allegedly pretending to be Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee in order to obtain a Samsung Galaxy S5 phone from Digicel. That matter, was however, later dismissed.
Bailey yesterday noted he was previously charged with an offence of a similar nature but said his innocence was proven after that matter was dismissed.
Prosecutor Michael Grant objected to Bailey being granted bail on the grounds that he was indeed previously charged with a similar offence and there was a likelihood he would not return to court to stand trial if released.
It was at this point that Baily began protesting, saying he preferred to plead guilty to the charge as he did not want to be remanded since “prison was hard and it’s not a nice place.”
He ignored orders to conduct himself in a proper manner and not to speak while the magistrate addressed the court. He ranted that even if he were granted bail, he had no money and no one to bail him. “I guilty meh worship. I rather plead guilty than fuh go on remand,” he said.
Magistrate Azore, however, cautioned Bailey that the court could not accept his guilty plea just because he felt he may be remanded to prison. “Ah guilty, ah guilty, I committed the offence,” Bailey nonetheless insisted.
“You said you did not do it, so I cannot accept your guilty plea,” the magistrate, however, informed.
The matter was afterward stood down owing to Bailey’s unruly behaviour.
Bailey, who entered the courtroom walking in a stooping position, lamented that he was unable to stand upright as he suffered from sickle cell. He added that as a result of his condition prison would not be the best place for him.
Though he walked in a bent position when he entered the courtroom and stooped in the prisoner’s dock, Bailey stood upright when he began raising his voice and arguing with the court.
He was later placed on $75,000 bail and ordered to return to court on February 5, when he will make his next appearance before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at Court One.
