(Trinidad Express) It was a tale of lies, trickery and broken promises as told by a 72-year-old man who said he gave a $5,000 gold chain to a woman less than half his age in exchange for sex but in the end, she took the item and refused to keep her side of the bargain.
The man said he was tricked into giving the woman thousands of dollars with the expectation that she would eventually please him sexually but she never did.
Now he is seeking to recoup the money spent on purchasing the chain and has since cut all ties with her alleging that she is a fraudster. The woman on the other hand, said the item was a gift from him for her birthday and she never promised him sex in return.
The story told by Herbert Scantlebury caused some uncontrollable laughter among attorneys and members of the public at the Appeal Court in Port of Spain yesterday, as he vented his frustration to Justices Alice Yorke-Soo Hon and Mark Mohammed.
Scantlebury had filed a private complaint against 30-year-old Josanne Edwards at the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court claiming she defrauded him by way of false pretence but the matter was eventually dismissed. He then filed an appeal in challenge of the magistrates’ decision to do so.
At yesterday’s hearing, Scantlebury said all he wanted was some type of justice in the matter but was having a difficult time in getting that redress.
He told the judges that in 2015, he met and became attracted to the woman and on a number of occasions he gave her money to go shopping. That same year, she told him she wanted the chain for her birthday and that she would spend the day with him in return, he claimed.
“And what did you expect to take place? Sex right?” asked Justice Soo Hon.
“Well, not…” Scantlebury said, before the judge again interjected.
“You were expecting sex,” the judge said.
It was at this point that Scantlebury admitted he had planned on being romantic with Edwards had she come to his place.
“I am virile you know, I have an eight-year-old so don’t look at me simple like that,” he said.
“We can tell that you are,” said Justice Soo Hon.
By that time, mostly everyone in the courtroom were in stitches as they listened in anticipation of what caused Scantlebury’s plans to fall apart.
He said on the day he was supposed to reap the rewards of his hard-earned cash, he called Edwards’ cellphone to find out where she was. The disappointment came when she informed him she was not coming over since she was with another friend in Tobago.
Scantlebury said he was a good man, who took the proper avenue to get justice in the case.
“I did not take the law into my own hands. I did not do like those little boys in the street,” he said.
The judges asked Edwards why she simply did not return the chain and bring the matter to an end.
However, Edwards said someone “snatched it” from her neck some time ago.
“I do not see why I have to be going through all of this. I am not a whore and I am not a prostitute. I did not promise him any sex,” she said.
Eventually, the judges dismissed the appeal explaining to Scantlebury that based on the nature of what had transpired, it could not succeed.
“People do what they want to do and then come to the court to fix it. This is a hard one to fix based on the law. False representation must be something in existence. It can’t be based on a promise to do something or future conduct,” said Justice Soo Hon.
But in spite of dismissing the appeal, the judges advised Scantlebury that he could still file petty civil proceedings at the Magistrates’ Court in an attempt to recoup the money spent on the chain.