A 25-year-old barber who allegedly snatched a minibus conductor’s gold chain off his neck was placed on bail yesterday when he appeared before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Odell Thompson of 743 D Field Sophia pleaded not guilty to the charge of larceny when it was read to him by Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle.
Thompson’s attorney made an  application for bail and explained to the court that it was a case of mistaken identity.
According to reports on  April 14 on Avenue of the Republic Thompson snatched the virtual complainant’s (VC) chain while the man was sitting in the bus he conducted. The bus, reports said, had stopped at the traffic light. The prosecution explained to the court that the accused was apprehended by the police just in time to save him from a sound thrashing.

The attorney immediately leapt to his client’s defence informing the court that the prosecution’s statement was only an allegation. If Thompson had stolen the chain, the lawyer said, then he would have had it in his possession.

“Nobody wears a $90,000 gold chain,” the lawyer told the court, “unless he’s Mr. T.” However, when asked by the prosecution if Thompson was the man who snatched his chain the VC promptly replied that he was. The matter will continue on April 23 in Court Four and the accused was placed on $50,000 bail.