Accused iPhone thief gets trial date

Robert Lawrence, the 53-year-old St James man who allegedly broke into a phone repair store in January and stole several iPhones, was booked to stand trial on June 13 when he appeared in the Montego Bay Parish Court last week.

The decision came after the court was informed that he has not been honouring an agreement to attend mediation and to repay the complainant for the stolen items. Lawrence, a higgler of a Flanker address, is charged with shopbreaking and larceny. His bail was extended until his next court appearance. According to the allegations against Lawrence, on January 6 at approximately 10 a.m., the complainant received word that his cellular phone repair store, located along Queen's Drive in Montego Bay, had been broken into. On viewing video footage from the store's security camera system, it reportedly showed Lawrence smashing the glass to the front door and stealing iPhones valued at a combined total of $2 million.

The matter was reported to the police, and on February 17, police investigators acting on information, conducted a targeted raid at Lawrence's house. When cautioned, Lawrence reportedly said, "Officer, mi nuh know what you talking about," but he was arrested and charged.

During Lawrence's court appearance on Wednesday, presiding Parish Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton was told that despite signing an agreement to pay the complainant $100,000 per month until the value of the stolen phones was covered, he had not made any payments.

"How are you affording to pay the $100,000 per month? Tell me how you're going to pay the $100,000 per month?" Fairclough-Hylton demanded of Lawrence.

"Could I get some time to pay?" asked Lawrence.

"That is the problem, that's not the agreement that you signed. If you're going to sign an agreement, you have to honour it," Fairclough-Hylton told Lawrence.