Man freed of BlackBerry theft charge

A man who was accused of stealing a Blackberry Torch cellular phone valued $120,000 was yesterday set free after the court ruled that a case had not been made out against him.

Oslin Robinson, whose address was not given, appeared before Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond when his trial continued yesterday.

It had been alleged that on January 30, after dark, on North Road, Robinson relieved Denise Jackman of the said phone.

Representing Robinson, Attorney Adrian Thompson submitted to the court that no case was made against his client on the basis that the police failed to conduct an identification parade and further that the manner by which his client was apprehended was questionable. He mentioned that the officer sent to arrest his client did so without receiving any name, description or other information about the alleged larcenist. He also stated that no phone was found in the house of his client when the police conducted their search.

The attorney submitted to the court that the virtual complainant’s testimony was unreliable since she claimed to have known the perpetrator in court but failed to state this in her statement or even make mention of it to the police. The attorney ventured to challenge the evidence of the virtual complainant on the basis that her statement was written after the arrested individual (Robinson) was seen by her but she failed to identify him as someone she knew.