Laughter overtook the Corporate Area Resident Magistrates' Court recently when Claudette Parkinson appeared to answer to charges that she stole $78,000 from her twin sister's account. Her 23-year-old daughter, Shashett Bryan was also accused in the matter.

Allegations in the matter are that Sonia Parkinson, the other sister and complainant, asked her sister, Claudette, to show her how to use her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card at a Scotia Bank ATM machine at which time Claudette memorised her sister's account pin number.

She later gained possession of the card and withdrew the funds from her sister's account.

The investigating officer in the case said that photographs obtained from the ATM's camera proved that Claudette did take the funds from her sister's account. However, she denied this but admitted that she agreed to repay her sister the sum.

An agreement was reached in the courts, under the approval of Resident Magistrate Glen Brown, that a monthly payment of $10,000 is made to Sonia until the debt is cleared.