A 19-year-old man who has several ongoing matters before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts was on Monday slapped with a larceny charge. Daniel Mc Arthur of Lot 27 Vryheid’s Lust East Coast Demerara appeared before Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs- Marcus.
It is alleged that on April 29, 2021, at North Road, Georgetown, he stole from the person of Janetta Morris, two gold chains valued at $224,000, property of the said Janetta Morris. The accused thief was not required to plead to the indictable charge.
He was represented by Attorney-at-law Dexter Todd who told the court that his client is unemployed. According to Todd, in an effort to become gainfully employed his client has opted to learn a trade.
The Police prosecutor however opposed Mc Arthur being released on bail citing that he was previously charged with a similar offense. Facts presented by the prosecutor stated that on the day in question, the victim was walking when she was approached by Mc Arthur who snatched her chains and ran away.
The prosecutor added that Mc Arthur was chased and caught by a bus conductor who witnessed the crime. The defendant after being arrested was positively identified by the virtual complainant. The court even heard that he admitted to snatching the woman’s chains.
The prosecutor’s objections to bail were overruled by the presiding Magistrate who ordered Mc Arthur to post bail in the sum of $150,000. As a condition of bail, he was ordered to stay 100 feet away from Morris’ residence, and workplace until the hearing and determination of the trial.
He was instructed to make his next court appearance on May 17, 2021.
In 2019, Mc Arthur and several others who were caught on a widely circulated video snatching a man’s phone at Stabroek Market Square, Georgetown, were charged and remanded to prison. They were subsequently charged with larceny and released on bail.
In the CCTV footage, a group of young men was seen walking on Croal Street, Georgetown. The men then walked up to a man who was on his phone and standing in front of ibet Supreme. Two of the men approached the man and snatched his phone.
They then made good their escape. They were later arrested by the Police and charged. Mc Arthur was previously charged with robbery under-arms. On that charge, he was also released on bail.