A chain snatcher, who said he committed the crime because he needed money to survive, was yesterday sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
The sentence was handed down by Magistrate Judy Latchman at the George-town Magistrates’ Court, where Jerome Smart, 20, pleaded guilty to robbing a man of his gold chain on September 29.
Smart was charged with robbing Orlando Chand of a gold chain valued $150,000.
Prosecutor Vishnu Hunt said that at around 10:45am, Chand was standing at the corner of Cornhill Street when Smart came up from behind and snatched his chain. Hunt added that Chand then raised an alarm and Smart was subsequently arrested and charged by the police.
Smart admitted to the court that he stole the gold chain but attempted to justify his actions by stating that he snatched the chain in order to obtain money to survive.
He told the court that he was a worker in the interior but when he came out his employer did not want to pay him. He also said that he was also thrown out of his mother’s home.
Smart also said that immediately after he snatched the chain, the police arrested him and Chand had then said that he wanted no complications but rather just desired to have his chain returned to him.
