A Diego Martin pensioner who obtained $115,800 from Republic Bank Ltd by pretending to be someone else was found guilty yesterday.The nine-member jury returned the guilty verdict against Verne Phillip after deliberating for almost an hour in the San Fernando High Court. The judge deferred sentence to Monday.The 68-year-old man went on trial before Justice Ricky Rahim in the Third Criminal Court two weeks ago, charged with obtaining money and valuable security by false pretences.
Phillip claimed he was never in the bank.The state's case, led by attorney Sabrina Dougdeen, was that Phillip went to the Marabella branch of Republic Bank 11 years ago pretending he was Keith Sosa.Evidence was led that he presented to the bank teller a cheque from Varma Iron in the sum of $115, 800.After presenting a form of identification for Sosa with a picture of him (Phillip) on it, the court heard, the cheque was changed.In his mitigation plea yesterday, his attorney, Raphael Morgan, said his client admitted to having four previous convictions prior to the 2000 offence.
In asking for a non-custodial sentence, Morgan asked the judge to consider that Phillip had no encounters with the law since 2000 and he had spent 28 months in custody.In addition, Morgan asked the court to consider Phillip's age, that he suffered from glaucoma and worshipped at the Holiness Revival Ministry, Woodbrook.In addition, he said, Phillip was married with two adult children.However, Dougdeen countered that his age should be considered as an aggravating factor since he used his age to his advantage to successfully perpetrate the crime.Indicating that society was plagued with violent crimes, she said for an offence of this nature, committed in such a brazen manner, the court had to send a message to like- minded offenders.