JOHN Smith (no address given) was on Monday remanded to prison on a simple larceny charge. He appeared before Magistrate Allan Wilson and pleaded guilty to the charge, which stated that on February 20, he stole one pressure pump valued $150,000, property of Margaret Young.
When the magistrate asked the defendant why he stole the pump, he explained that he did not remove the pump. He told the court that he made a mistake by pleading guilty.
The magistrate then entered a not-guilty plea for the defendant.
The court was told by Police Corporal, Jairam Luckhai that the defendant was an employee of the virtual complainant.
Luckhai said that, on the day in question, the virtual complainant left the defendant unsupervised, and later saw him leaving the yard. When Young enquired from Smith why he was leaving, he told her that he was fetching water.
The prosecutor said the virtual complainant later made checks and discovered the pressure pump missing. Another employee informed Young that the defendant had thrown the pump over the fence, and later escaped with it.
According to Luckhai, a report was made and the defendant was subsequently arrested and charged.
The defendant was denied his pre-trial liberty because he could not give the court a fixed place of abode. He will make another court appearance on March 15.