Rico Persaud, who stole a cellphone from a shop owner that he has been acquainted with for years, was yesterday sentenced to nine months in prison after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Persaud was charged with stealing a cellphone from Bibi Gani on May 4th, at Georgetown.
According to the prosecution, on May 4th, Persaud had gone to Gani’s shop to purchase a $1,000 Digicel phone card. When the woman left to go into her house to conduct the transaction, she left her phone on the counter. Upon her return, she discovered both phone and man missing.
Gani told the court that Persaud had used the phone to make contact with her female friends and had been attempting to solicit sexual favours from them.
When the magistrate asked Persaud what happened to the phone he took, he recounted a harrowing tale, which he said occurred on Sunday when he had returned from church.
Persaud claimed three men had come to his house, one fired a shot at him, the other chopped him about the body with a cutlass, and the other shocked him. They then took him outside to a black vehicle and continued beating him, he said. The phone, which had been left upstairs charging, had been taken away by the men, he added.
Although Magistrate Faith McGusty seemed to be well acquainted with the defendant, Persaud at first denied ever having been brought before the court but later stated that his only charge prior had been for escaping custody. It was later found however, that Persaud has several matters before the court.
