ST JAMES, Jamaica— A man who has been accused of stealing a car he rented in 2021, was led into the courtroom at the St James Parish Court in handcuffs for the first day of his trial on Tuesday.

Alphanso Martin is charged with larceny of a motor vehicle and fraudulent use of a licence disc. He pleaded not guilty in an earlier court appearance.

The only witness to testify in the case was Constable Susan Davis, who is assigned to the Sangster International Airport police station.

She testified that on December 22, 2021, a man who is the proprietor of a Montego Bay car rental company entered the airport’s police station guardroom and reported a breach of contract by one of his customers who had rented a motor car. She stated that she recorded a radio message alerting patrol units to be on the lookout for such a vehicle.

Constable Davis stated that on August 19, 2022, she received a call from the complainant, who provided her with specific information, and she contacted the Gayle Police Station in St Mary for assistance.

On September 2, the investigating officer was notified that the accused had been arrested and was being held at the Barnett Street lockup in Montego Bay.

According to the officer, a closer inspection of the vehicle revealed that the registration disc did not match the paperwork and had been fraudulently modified.

Davis said when she cautioned him, Martin said, “Officer, they took me out of my vehicle…I have a sales agreement with the car company.”

When defence lawyer Sherneika Jackson told Davis during cross-examination that the disc and paperwork were not different, the officer objected.

No other witnesses were called to the stand, and the case was adjourned until July 6.

Martin was remanded in custody.

According to the accusations, about 4:35 pm on June 30, 2021 the complainant observed that a 2011 hatchback Honda motor car that was due to return that day was late.

Following checks to ensure that the rental period had not been extended, the complainant made attempts to contact the accused at the phone numbers and address he provided but was unsuccessful. After noticing that the vehicle’s tracker was disabled the complainant reported the matter to the police.

Martin was subsequently arrested and charged.