Shopping partner steals woman’s handbag

Rodrick Wilson, 45, who gave authorities two Clarendon addresses, was remanded yesterday after pleading guilty to charges of simple larceny when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

It was reported that on April 25 about 4:35 p.m., the complainant met Wilson for the first time at Tropical Plaza in Half-Way Tree. He reportedly told her that he was from the rural area and was interested in finding stores to do some shopping. The 27-year-old complainant, who was also shopping, volunteered to show Wilson around the Corporate Area.

Nowhere in sight

They ventured into a store where the complainant decided to purchase pants and went into the fitting room. She gave Wilson her bag to hold. Upon exiting the fitting room, Wilson was nowhere in sight. Her handbag was said to contain an iPhone 6s, J$8,000 and a polo T-shirt valued at $700.

On May 3, the complainant said she ran into Wilson again in Half-Way Tree, and demanded he return her belongings. The two got into an argument, which ended at the police station. Wilson was arrested and charged.

"Where is the lady belongings, Sir?" Parish Court Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague asked Wilson. "Me left them on the road in front of the store and the iPhone never even good," he replied.

Cole-Montague expressed disappointment with Wilson's actions and demanded that he provide the court with information about the complainant's items.

"So you mean to tell me that you took the lady good bag leave on roadside, Sir? Let me tell you, if you cannot tell me where you put the lady belongings by the next court date, you going straight to prison," she said. The judge also seemed alarmed that the complainant would allow a stranger to hold her possessions.

"Sometimes we must teach our children that they shouldn't be so quick to trust," she said. Wilson is to return to court on June 16.

- A.D.