Frustrated that his salary was late and he had bills to pay, a water company employee admitted to stealing $5,867.62 from his employer.
Lutchman Ragoonath, 38, of Hermitage Settlement, San Fernando, appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with stealing the amount.
On September 18 he stole the money from Crystal Waters Ltd at Battoo Avenue, Marabella. However, he was subsequently arrested and charged by PC Matloo of the Marabella CID. Ragoonath, who worked at the company as a driver, pleaded guilty.
But, he told Senior Magistrate Jo-Anne Connor that the reason he stole the money was because the company was supposed to have paid him on August 25, but failed to do so. “I had bills to pay,” he said.
Based on his explanation, the Magistrate entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. She told him that his reason amounted to a “claim of right in law,” which is defence. She advised him to seek legal advice.
Apart from a conviction for drunk driving, Ragoonath said he had no other criminal matters. Prosecutor Cleyon Seedan said the police computerised fingerprint tracing system was not working, but a name check showed just that one conviction. A copy of the summary of evidence and evidence notes was handed over to the accused.
Ragoonath was granted his own bail and the matter adjourned to October 29.