Three months imprisonment was the sentence decided upon in The Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for a man convicted of stealing a BlackBerry phone from beside a Bible during a church service.

Paul Thompson, who is charged with simple larceny, told Senior Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey, "I'm guilty for receiving the chip," which garnered snickers in the courtroom.

According to police reports on April 21, the defendant removed the gadget during a Sunday service at the Psalm Ministries International located on Barons Plaza in the Corporate Area.

The complainant discovered her smartphone missing after she returned to her seat where she had left it beside her Bible after participating in praise and worship.

She called the number to enquire about the whereabouts of the phone, and a male voice answered and said he was in Three Miles.

The complainant raised an alarm and after much negotiation with the defendant which was aided by the pastor of the church, Thompson agreed to return the phone at a neutral location.

A sting operation was set up by the police and the defendant was nabbed.