“My worship you could see clearly I innocent…” Leon Austin, who allegedly broke and entered a man’s home, stealing over $170,000 in cash and other items, told Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson yesterday.
Austin, 45, indicated to the magistrate that he wanted his matter to be dealt with in the Magistrate’s Court and pleaded not guilty to the charge of break and enter and larceny when it was read to him.
“I is a hustler your worship,” Austin, called `Wild Boy’, said when asked what he did for a living. “I sell underarm deodorant and belt and so…”
It is alleged that on July 1 in Georgetown Austin broke and entered the house of Godfrey Caesar and stole $150,000 cash, two leather belts, two denim pants and a cellular phone. The items were together valued $172, 000.
The belts, according to Austin, belonged to him and he denied stealing anything from the virtual complainant (VC). He further told the court that he was kept in police custody for more than the legal 72 hours and was only told yesterday morning that he would be charged for break and enter and larceny.
“How can a man be charged when the police has never taken his fingerprints?” Austin questioned the court. “Is one week after this thing happen that they charge me and is only this morning [yesterday] I found out wah I getting charge for.”
Meanwhile, Caesar explained that he woke up at approximately 3.30 am on July 1 and saw his door open. Further investigation by him revealed that the stated amount of cash was missing from the pocket of the pants he’d worn the previous day.
The two belts and other items were also discovered missing.
“I go in town about 8 am that day and I see my brother-in-law and tell him about wah happen,” Austin recalled, “and he tell me how he see a man [the accused] at about 5 am that morning trying to sell de two belts.”
Caesar said that further investigation led him to Albouystown where he confronted the accused who had both belts in his possession. The accused, Caesar alleged, pulled a knife on him.
“After he pull de knife on me, a man hand me a piece of wood,” Caesar said.
Austin, according to the VC, escaped but was apprehended shortly after by a police patrol.
The prosecution requested that bail be refused and informed the court that another matter was pending for the accused but the file for that case was not yet in the court’s possession. Austin, they reported, assaulted a female.
The VC in the assault matter was present in court yesterday and alleged that Austin had hit her in the head with a piece of wood.
After listening to all the parties involved the magistrate denied Austin bail. He next appears in Court Two on July 17.
