Three Portmore men who answered to a charge of receiving stolen property were freed in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

Those freed are Romain Byroo, Carl Bailey, and Wayne Patrick.

When the case was mentioned before Resident Magistrate Anmarie Nembhard, it was decided that the evidence was not enough to find the trio culpable.

"The Crown has failed to prove that any of the accused was aware that the vehicle was stolen or unlawfully obtained," Nembhard said. The men were then told they were free to go.

In 2007, a 1992 Toyota Corolla was allegedly robbed from its owner in Portmore. One month later, police in Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth, caught Patrick, an auto-body repairman, driving it. He reportedly told investigators it was given to him to work on by Bailey.

While the investigations intensified, a vehicle owned by Byroo was found with auto-body parts from the stolen vehicle. The three were originally charged with robbery; however, the Crown reduced this to receiving stolen property.

Despite the small number of people who turned out at the Portmore HEART Academy Auditorium on Tuesday, a workshop on money management put on by COK credit union for its members was still successful.

The occasion brought together a panel with a wealth of knowledge, including personnel from the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) and the credit union. "Persons have to recognise a recession is on, therefore people have found more diverse ways to live," Denise Garfield, corporate planner for the Jamaica Co-oporative Credit Union League, said.

Garfield emphasised there was a need for people to maximise their chance of survival. "With times getting harder, we have to turn our hobbies into money-making endeavours," Garfield reasoned.

Director of CAC's western region, Pash Fuller, told the audience about ways they could save when spending. Fuller told them to buy from reputable traders. "Some of us do sightseeing in the refrigerator. Stop it. If you iron in bulk, you'll be saving quite a sum of money monthly," Fuller said.

Meanwhile, COK's marketing manager, Lorraine Green, said the exercise was to give people the financial knowledge to better themselves.

"We have six branches islandwide with more than 200,000 members. It is, therefore, important that the public-education campaign be continued," Green told THE PORTMORE STAR. A number of loans and savings options were introduced to those in attendance.

- R.T.