Man freed of larceny charge

A man accused of stealing a phone walked free when he appeared before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's (RM) Court on Wednesday.

Odaine McFarlane, charged with larceny by trick, was told that his case was dismissed because the phone will be returned to the complainant.

According to the police, on December 10, McFarlane accosted the complainant and stole his black Huawei cell phone.

After pleading guilty to the charge, the accused explained to the court that he was using the phone as leverage until a phone stolen from his home was recovered.

"After him (the complainant) and a next youth leave me house, we realise a phone gone missing, so me tell him me will keep his phone until Auntie come and do bible key fi find out who teef it," explained McFarlane.

He denied stealing the phone and then reversed his initial guilty plea.

RM Vaughn Smith, after querying if the phone was returned to the complainant, dismissed the case when he was satisfied with the response from the police officers.

But McFarlane is not in the clear from legal troubles because he is co-accused with Safton Cole for robbery with aggravation.

The incident took place on the same day as the above-mentioned case and is related to the same stolen phone.

According to the complainant, both men accosted him in a threatening manner, accusing him of stealing a phone from their home.

"Because me fraid a dem me, end up hand over the phone to them," the complainant told the court.

The Nokia phone valuing $50,000 was not returned and the men were reported to the police.

Both men had their bail extended until their trial date, which is February 15.