Man on murder charge steals cop’s phone in court

A man was fined $50,000 yesterday after pleading guilty to stealing a police officer's phone, which was found hidden in his crotch.

Deuton Morris was charged with simple larceny and malicious destruction of property when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court. Morris has an impending murder case.

The court heard that while he was in custody relating to that case, the complainant, who is attached to the court, left her phone on a table. It is reported that Morris took up the phone and when he was returned to police lock-up, the cop's phone was found in his crotch area. However, Morris said he was given the phone by another person who was also in custody.

"Your Honour, me and another yute come court. The police officer take the yute and when he was going downstairs, I was coming upstairs and I saw him with it [the phone], a tek out and a put in. Him tell me seh him a go court, and seh if me can hold it for him. When the truck come back fi we, fi go back a Central, me seh me a guh scream off with it cause me nuh really know him. So them seh is a police phone when we reach back a Central. Them not even find it pon me, me just give it to dem," Morris explained.

The complainant told Parish Court Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague that when the phone was returned, the screen was cracked, the phone case was damaged, and the SIM card and memory card were removed. The phone is valued $45,000.

Morris agreed with Cole-Montague that he was aware that he should not have had a phone while in custody. Cole-Montague told Morris that he should return to court on June 7 to begin repayment to the complainant. He was scheduled to return to court on Friday on the murder charge. - T.T.