A man who refused to hand over a cellular phone that he found in a taxi was given a non-custodial sentence when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Wednesday.

Jaheel Campbell, 22, who pleaded guilty to larceny by finding was sentenced to three months suspended for 18 months, which means that if he commits an offence within the next 18 months he will serve an additional three months.

The prosecutor told the court that on February 8, approximately 8:35 pm, the complainant took a taxi to Cross Roads. She sat on the back seat, her Samsung Galaxy in her pocket. On reaching her destination, the complainant exited the car. When she realised that the phone was not in her pocket, she waited for the taxi to return. When it did the phone was nowhere in sight. The taxi operator allowed the complainant to use his phone to dial her own number, but her phone went unanswered.

The taxi operator told the complainant that he saw a passenger taking up something like a cellular phone, and later took her to the location where Campbell had exited the vehicle.

The court was also told that the complainant offered to pay Campbell for the phone, but he denied having it in his possession. The driver then took the complainant to the Vineyard Town Police Station where the incident was reported.

The police accompanied the complainant to the place where she had seen Campbell earlier. They searched him and found the phone in his pocket. He was subsequently arrested and charged.

Prior to sentencing, parish judge Andrea Pettigrew-Collins asked Campbell if he had anything to say.

Campbell replied: “Not really.”

“How much money you make weekly?” Pettigrew-Collins inquired.

“$10,000; $9,300 after tax,” the man said.

“You think on that salary you can access an expensive phone?” the judge asked.

“No ma’am,” Campbell replied.

“If you find something, you should return it,” Pettigrew-Collins scolded.

— Racquel Porter