Mother of 5 accused of stealing $3.85M gold band 

A mother of five has been granted bail after appearing in Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on a charge of allegedly stealing a gold band valued at over $3.85 million.
Latoya Christian, of Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara, stood before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore on Wednesday to face the larceny charge.
The allegation states that on January 31 at Tobin’s Workshop, Aubrey Barker Road, Georgetown, Christian allegedly took a gold band belonging to Ronald Newton. She pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecution did not object to bail, claiming that Newtown and the defendant shared a child. However, Newtown immediately rejected any claims of a personal relationship with Christian, stating that he has no relations whatsoever with her.
Reports during the hearing indicated that Christian told Police Officers during their investigation that she indeed had a child with Newton, but he denied the assertion, accusing her of repeatedly lying about the situation.
Christian was represented by attorney-at-law Patrice Henry, who requested reasonable bail. Henry highlighted that his client has an unblemished record and is not a flight risk. He also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the alleged theft, noting that several workers, including foreign nationals, were operating unsupervised at the workshop.
Henry said that while some witnesses claimed to see Christian in the vicinity of the gold band, others stated she was never there, suggesting inconsistencies.
He argued that his client is being unfairly singled out, saying, “It just came down to everybody putting the blame on her.” Christian continues to deny any involvement in the alleged theft.
After hearing the submissions, Magistrate Azore granted Christian $150,000 bail. She is scheduled to return to court on April 22.