By Latrishka Thomas
A courtroom was in shock yesterday when it was revealed that a woman charged with stealing from the Cost Pro supermarket was actually taking the blame for her 20-year-old daughter.
According to the facts of the case, at around 11.30am on September 23, the accused was apparently caught taking items from various aisles in the Friars Hill Road supermarket.
She is said to have placed them in a multi-coloured bag which resembled a diaper bag, placed it in a stroller and pushed it outside.
Once outside, she was approached by a security officer who asked to carry out a search on her person. There the items – which included lotion, facial cleansers and scrubs, baby detergent and air fresheners – were found.
A report was made to the police and she admitted to the crime and was charged with larceny.
The woman appeared before Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh in the St John’s Magistrates’ Court yesterday and pleaded guilty.
However, in a twist of events, the investigating officer admitted that he did not check the security cameras himself because the woman admitted to the crime.
The magistrate disclosed that if the footage had been reviewed, they would have noticed that the woman’s daughter was the actual culprit.
“I know you are taking the rap for her,” the magistrate remarked.
“If you’re encouraging your daughter to steal, she’s gonna end up right back here,” Magistrate Walsh warned.
The defendant was then asked again who stole the goods and she confessed that it was her daughter.
The magistrate admonished her and fined her $500 for larceny which she has to pay immediately or spend one month behind bars.
The goods, which were tendered as evidence in court, were ordered to be returned to the supermarket.