Francis Jailed One Year For Stealing Cell Phone

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Ateba Francis of Gray’s Farm was sentenced to a year in prison after stealing a cell phone valued $2,500.

He pleaded guilty to the offence yesterday. The cell phone was left in a shopping cart at Epicurean supermarket parking lot by accident on August 15.

Upon investigation, the police found the Samsung Galaxy smartphone on Francis.

Francis told Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh that the case is one of “lost and found”.

The man said that he went home with the phone but planned to return it to the police afterwards.

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17 COMMENTS

    • How could this be justice? Unless this young man is known to the court and is a multiple repeat offender…

  1. This is F…ry!! While rapists get probation. Wonder what would happen if he was from another community.

    • You are so right! Rape get only a couple months but taking a cell phone which he found, not intentionally stole, gets a year. Technically he found it.. the person should have been more careful and yet he get a year and rapist gets months or probation.

  2. When you can get more time for stealing a phone than for murder or rape in Antigua it shows how far gone we are and corrupt we are as a society.

    The lawyer should appeal this sentence immediately. He pleaded guilty so how about not wasting the courts time, or is this criterion only used for butchers who chop up their girlfriends and rapists and pedophiles.

    That zip code is the most dangerous threat to a just society and equality under the law as one can imagine.

  3. Please help my daft self. A phone was left in an open parking lot. Police went looking for him because perhaps they picked him up on camera. Ok all good but a year for this misdemeanor and rapist get a slap on the hand “ don’t do it again” and are free to go. Antigua people wake up. Wake the hell up.

  4. Jailed for a year for FINDING a phone?

    Sure he should have given it to security but it shouldn’t be a crime not to do so.

    Is this one of those cases where he can pay a fine in lieu of jail time?

    If so, I’m willing to contribute to get him out of jail.

  5. IF a rapist was given only one year we would consider a travesty of justice. Indeed, no rapist should be able to get outside the court house door without being castrated, and then 20 or more years at hard labour. What’s going on here. A cell phone!!!! One year!!!! Rapist spends little or no time and he gets out with not one, but both of his balls intact!!! Castrate the rapist and look him up for 20 years minimu.

  6. People,people,people,he is from Grays Farm.I have read.Where men in Antigua have sex with under aged girls get probation.If anyone has sex with an under aged person.That person should be charged with Statutory Rape.Not be given probation by any Courts.Justice in Antigua is not blind.The poor people are the ones feeling the brunt of it,daily.

  7. Wow wow wow wow that magistrate I still dont understand how the court system runs. Rapist probation, murderer small amount of years, me find a phone jail time hmmmmm. Reading some of the comments is so true hes from the ghetto poor and only go to jail. Am real sorry for the young man

  8. Yet a rapist gets only a few months for that crime.

    Where is the f’n justice in this country?

  9. I wondered if he came from Hodges Bay and not Grays Farm.If he would have been treated the same.
    The Legal Associations in Antigua and Barbuda.They need to look at this Magistrate records in sentencing over the years.There are times in my opinion.When her sentencing is out in left field.Leaves a lot to be desired.Someone needs to challenged her in a Higher Court.A man found a phone in a shopping cart outside of a Supermarket.He is sentenced to 1 year in Prison.That should be Appealed immediately.Who was his Lawyer? If he had one.I am willing to send the funds to Appeal that sentencing.It is a joke and a mockery of the Judicial systems.Too much power into the hands of Judges and Magistrates.They have become little gods.

  10. The name Attiba Francis sounds awfully familiar. Before we drown in our collective tears let’s see if Attiba is known to the court. What if Attiba is a kleptomaniac? What if he is a repeat offender? Let’s get all the facts!

  11. ANON THE 1ST:YOU KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ALL OTHERS. JUST HOPING YOU KNOW ABOUT YOURSELF.THE NAME YOU MENTIONED IS NOT HIS NAME.HE DID NOT STEAL THE PHONE.HE FOUND THE PHONE IN A SHOPPING CART AT THE SUPERMARKET.HE DOES NOT DESERVE A YEAR IN PRISON FOR THAT ACTION.

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