Compton Henry, also known as ‘Worm bait’ was fined $50,000 by Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Christianburg Magistrates’ Court yesterday, after he was found guilty of simple larceny.

Henry, 47, of 386 One Mile Wismar, Linden, allegedly committed the theft on Wednesday March 25, 2009.

He was charged with having stolen one 12v power master battery valued $27,000 and one Dunlop tyre valued $5,000 belonging to the Linden Economic Advancement Fund (LEAF).

After he was found guilty, he begged the Magistrate to allow him to pay a fine. “My worship I beg you fuh leh ah pay a fine ’cause I don spen a lang time in jail ah ready,” he pleaded.

He was then fined $50,000 with an alternative of four weeks in prison. As the man walked away from the court room, he was overheard saying that he would rather serve the time. “Weh I gon get $50,000 from? I done do more than a year, so I gon spen meh four weeks,” he said. Henry was a prisoner for the period of the trial because he could not pay the $20,000 bail granted when he first appeared March, last year.

Meanwhile, the court also ordered that the police return the two recovered items to LEAF.