Phone thief gets a 'bly' - complainant begs judge for mercy

A Kingston man was sentenced to six months in prison for stealing a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, but his sentence has been suspended at the mercy of the complainant.

Matthew Brown was charged with simple larceny. It is alleged that on June 1, Brown snatched his neighbour's rose gold and black Samsung.

Brown told the judge he had planned to return the phone, but he was arrested before he got the chance to.

The complainant told the court that she would just want Brown to refrain from stealing from her as she suspects that he might have stolen other things.

The presiding judge threatened to lock Brown away for six months, but suspended the sentence after the complainant showed mercy.

"I am going to suspend the sentence for 18 months because of her. That means if you are brought before the court within those six months you will be locked up," the judge said.