Man caught stealing yellow yam

Aman who confessed to stealing 10lbs of yellow yam from a farm he worked on, yesterday agreed to make restitution to the owner when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

It was reported that on April 20 at 8:30 p.m., the complainant saw the accused Paul Edwards in his farm and observed him uprooting mature yams. The complainant watched Edwards as he prepared to leave the farm with a bag of yams. But as Edwards attempted to jump a fence, the complainant held on to him. In court, Edwards initially denied committing the act. He argued that he had reaped the yams earlier that day and returned to the farm to collect them.

“In the night you go over there [referring to the farm]?” Senior Parish Judge Lori- Anne Cole- Montaque asked. “To pick up the yam,” Edwards responded.

But the prosecutor unearthed additional evidence that a cookshop operator told the complainant that she bought yams from Edwards, who is also referred to as ‘Escobar’. The court heard further that when Edwards was cautioned by the police, he said: “Offica, me sorry, me nah do it again. [Name of the complainant] nuh mek police dem lock me up, memba me and yuh a friend and a me grow yuh.”

When pressed by the judge if he made the statement, Edwards admitted that he confessed to the police that he was sorry for his actions. The complainant told the court that he would be seeking $50,000 compensation for his losses as not only yams were stolen. At that point Edwards entered a guilty plea and agreed to make compensation.

Cole-Montaque imposed conditions to Edwards’ bail, one of which was an order for him not to visit the complainant’s farm. He was made the subject of a daily curfew and was ordered not to interfere with the complainant. He is to return to court on May 31 when it is expected that he will have at least half the money to begin repayment.