Accused underpants thief remanded

A man who is accused of stealing underpants was remanded when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Friday.

Charged with simple larceny is Kemar Johnson of a Kingston address.

It is alleged that Johnson stole the underpants from the complainant's stall following a dispute over $1000.

Johnson, who operates a soup stand, told the court that he did not steal the male undergarments but had taken them instead as compensation for a $1000 note which he claims belonged to him, that the complainant allegedly picked up off the ground and refused to return.

Blew away

"I dipped into my pants pocket for the $1000 and it blew away, so I went outside to collect it and saw her picking it up, so I asked her to give it to me and she said 'no is mine' and she not giving it to me, so I took out the rest of the money in my bib and throw it on the ground seh tek all a it then," Johnson said.

He told the court that it was then he took the complainant's underpants as compensation for the money.

"Me grab up the underpants dem and seh me willing to go court fi me $1000 'cause I'm a hardworking man, me bun up inna sun fi me money."

Receipt

The complainant told the court, however, that she found a quantity of cash on the ground along with a receipt, but said the accused was unable to identify the items listed on the receipt.

"I have a stall in the plaza and I find $1150 on the ground and him come and seh is his own and me did find a receipt with the money so me ask him what is on the receipt and him seh, 'anything weh deh pan the receipt a mine.' So me tell him I am not giving it to him and a suh him tek up me underpants dem," she said.

Senior Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey asked Johnson, "How long do you intend to spend in prison for the underpants?" He responded, "I bring back the underpants because I don't want it to draw out over $1000 'cause I am a working man."

Johnson was remanded and returns to court for sentencing tomorrow.