After four days of trial testimony Simeon Pope broke down in tears and changed his plea to guilty in High Court on Friday morning.
Justice Albert Redhead was summing up the facts of the case when Mr. Pope interjected, sobbing, and admitted his guilt on seven counts of obtaining property by deception.
He was accused of taking money from three men by offering to sell them vehicles owned by the Public Works Department, where he worked in 2010.
Three men — Alvin James, Peter Robinson and Harold John — testified during the trial, telling the court they had given money to Mr. Pope for him to purchase government-owned vehicles but got nothing in return.
“They never saw the vehicles and never saw their money again,” Senior Crown Counsel Christilyn Benjamin said in her opening statement.
Mr. Pope, who represented himself in the trial before changing his plea, is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday. The maximum punishment for obtaining property by deception is 10 years in prison.
See the March 21, 2013 edition for full coverage.