A vendor who allegedly broke and entered a woman’s food stall and stole a quantity of items was remanded to prison yesterday when he appeared before Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Nineteen-year-old Kelon Bishop of 74 Norton Street, Lodge pleaded not guilty to the charges of break and enter and larceny.

It is alleged that on October 7, Bishop broke and entered the food stall of Esther Small and stole a quantity of items including $100,000 in phone cards, several cartons of cigarettes and cigarette lighters, totalling $554,000 in value.

Small who was also present in court stated that she secured her stall and left early that night but when she returned the following day she discovered that the stall’s padlock had been broken and when she checked inside several items were missing. She said that she had received information from another person who allegedly saw Bishop breaking the padlock with a crowbar and later making his way out of the stall with several items in his hand.

She further stated that sometime after she saw Bishop and told him about the information that she had received about the incident but  he threatened to kill her and the other person who had accused him of the offence.

However Bishop stated that he operates another stall a short distance from Small’s stall and on the day in question, he said, “I de went at de next corner,” when the incident occurred. He also said that several days after, Small had approached him to inquire if he knew where to find another person who  was accused of stealing the items from the stall.

At that time, he added, Small did not accuse him of the offences. He said that he later heard that he had been accused of the offence when the police arrested him.  Bishop noted that “de person that tell she I thief de thing was a junkie and I neva threaten them.”

Magistrate Robertson then ordered that Bishop be remanded to prison and that he return to court on November 7.