A Henry Street, Werk-en-Rust man who was deported from Barbados following a squabble over money appeared before a city court yesterday charged with fraudulently converting the sum and was ordered to repay it or be jailed.
Trevor Carter, 45, of Lot 4 Henry Street was read a charge which stated that between January 2011 and October 7, 2015, at Georgetown, being solely entrusted by a person called Orell with Barbados currency of $1,000, which is equivalent to Guyana currency of $100,000, in order that he may deliver the sum to Natasha Devine called Jonelle, converted same to his own use and benefit.
Carter pleaded guilty as charged.
The facts presented by the prosecution stated that Carter and Devine were known to each other before the incident.
It was related that in 2011, a relative of Devine had given Carter $100,000 to deliver to her as he was at the time preparing to travel to Guyana from Barbados. Although the defendant had acknowledged receipt of the money, the cash was never delivered to the complainant.
The prosecutor stated that on October 7, around 16:30hrs, while walking through Henry Street, Devine spotted the defendant and approached him to ask for the money. He allegedly told her to come back another day after which the complainant reported the matter to the Brickdam Police Station.
Carter acknowledged that he had indeed collected the money from a relative of the woman but stated that he had not returned to Guyana on that trip. Instead, he gave the money to someone else, who failed to follow through on the delivery. Carter further stated that he had been in an altercation with the man from whom he had received the money, which resulted in him being deported as he was an illegal migrant in Barbados.
The defendant related that in September of this year he saw the complainant and the two had a sit-down at his house during which he promised her he would return the money as he recognized his responsibility in the matter. He said that on the same day however, the woman reported the matter to the police station, leading to his arrest. Carter claimed that Devine told the police she had paid him $100,000 to bring clothes for him, which she had not yet received.
Devine denied Carter’s allegations, repeating the facts presented by the prosecution.
Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan ordered that Carter repay the sum of $100,000 to Devine by yesterday’s date or alternatively, spend three months in prison.
