Snatcher gets 18 months

Woman refused to let go of her bag

Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday sentenced a man to eighteen months in prison for attempting to steal a $10,000 shoulder bag from a woman.
Mark Smith, 24, of 2094 Nutmeg Street, Festival City, pleaded guilty to the charge of attempting to commit a felony when it was read to him.

Iris Thom stated that on September 20 at around 6:20 am   she was walking east along Cummmings Street on her way to work with her bag on her right shoulder when she observed Smith walking behind her. When she turned around to face him he grabbed her bag but she said “I hold on to ma bag and tell he I ain’t loosing it.” Then she noticed him fumbling in his back pocket for something and she immediately raised an alarm which caused a security guard from a nearby business to come out.

Smith then released his hold on the bag and ran in a westerly direction to Camp Street.  Thom stated that she then ran to a police mobile patrol vehicle that was in the vicinity and told them what had happened.  The policemen promptly went after Smith who was later apprehended and searched and a chopper found in the waist of his pants. He was then arrested and later charged.

However Smith told the court that he was indeed walking behind Thom but when she noticed him walking too close and turned around, he ran away. He later admitted to the statements the prosecution had made about the incident.

Smith was asked by the magistrate whether he would like someone to do his mother or sister what he had attempted to do to Thom and he replied: “Dem get rob already to.”  Smith was later escorted out of the court by a policeman.