Christopher Thomas, STAR Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

A St James man, who stole three packs of coffee from a Montego Bay supermarket, was given a suspended sentence when he appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Twenty-four-year-old Mario Parkinson pleaded guilty to simple larceny. He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended for a year.

Reports are that Parkinson went to the Progressive Food Store at Fairview, Montego Bay, where he tried to leave the establishment with three packs of coffee without paying for them. He was held with the items, arrested and charged.

It was not disclosed when the incident took place. When the case was mentioned on Monday, presiding magistrate Carolyn Tie told Parkinson there was no justification for what he did.

However, she told the accused she would not send him to prison. The magistrate imposed a six-month jail sentence, suspended for a year with supervision from the probation service.