We have heard persons protest about phony court cases and verdicts, but chances are Ricardo Handy will not protest about the 'phone-y' outcome of his case in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court.
As THE STAR reported yesterday, RM Glen Brown handed Handy a handy deal on Wednesday, when he answered to a charge of larceny from the dwelling. Handy had stolen a cell-phone from his ex-girlfriend's home in anger about her ending their five-year relationship abruptly.
The 'phone-y' deal that he was offered, which he has until today to take up, was that he would buy back a Motorola phone with a camera to replace the one he had stolen and disposed of. Otherwise, he will not be going back home.
Comfort object
Since the cellphone became widely available to, and used by, the masses of Jamaicans only seven short years ago, it has become much more than a device for making and receiving telephone calls.
It has become a device to which owners become very attached emotionally, hence the significance in Handy targeting his ex-girlfriend's 'cellie' in his anger at her.
So, although this case is one of many that go through the court system every day, it is noteworthy as it underscores the impact of the cellphone on the Jamaican psyche.
And, as the RM told Handy, who was speechless after the verdict was handed down, "Digicel having a sale now, up to 70 per cent off."
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