KINGSTON, Jamaica — A legally blind man was on Tuesday admonished and discharged after the court accepted that charges against him arose out of a misunderstanding.

Randolph Carty, 62, appeared before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court to answer charges of possession of uncustomed goods and simple larceny.

The court heard that Carty was accused of stealing a point-of-sale (POS) machine from a supermarket. Prosecutors said the item was reported missing after the supermarket personnel saw Carty going off with the machine on CCTV footage, prompting police to obtain a search warrant.

During a search of Carty’s premises, officers reportedly found the POS machine along with uncustomed cigarettes, and he was subsequently charged.

Carty pleaded guilty to the offences.

However, his attorney later explained that the incident stemmed from an unfortunate mix-up. She told the court that while Carty was shopping, his items became mixed up with those belonging to a woman nearby. In his anxiety to secure his own goods, he gathered everything close to him and left the supermarket unaware that he had taken the POS machine.

Addressing the issue of the cigarettes, defence counsel said Carty had regularly purchased them from a corner shop and was unaware that they were uncustomed.

Presiding Judge Alwayne Smith asked the prosecution whether it could rebut the explanation put forward by the defence. The prosecution indicated that it could not.

In light of the circumstances, Judge Smith dismissed all charges against Carty but issued a warning, urging him to conduct reputable businesses to avoid similar incidents in the future.

— Carlysia Ramdeen