Woman charged with chain theft after ditching man -lawyer tells court

Leeta Henry, a 35-year-old mother of nine, was yesterday charged with stealing a gold chain, which her lawyer said belonged to a man she has spurned.

Henry was admitted to bail in the sum of $70,000 by Magistrate Hazel Octave-Hamilton.  The allegation is that between December 14 and December 24, 2010, at Houston, East Bank Demerara, she stole a gold chain valued $200,000. The chain was the property of Ovid Clarke.

Henry, a clothes vendor of 31 Craig Street, Campbellville, was not required to plead to the indictable simple larceny charge when it was read to her by the Magistrate at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Attorney Paul Fung-a-Fat, who represented the accused, told the court that the allegation has been levelled against his client only because she refused to continue a relationship with Clarke. According to the lawyer, the two had been living together for two years, and after learning that she was married, he brought the allegation against her.

Fung-a-Fat made an application for his client to be admitted to reasonable bail on the grounds that she had no antecedents, posed no risk of flight, had a fixed address and had been cooperating with police investigations.

The prosecution had no objection to the defendant being granted bail, but requested that it be in a substantial sum to ensure she returns to stand trial.

After being granted bail, Henry was ordered to attend Court One on October 20.