A prisoner who defended himself in court yesterday had his attempted-robbery conviction and 3.5-year jail term overturned after he argued the incident had been a misunderstanding.
Kenneth Simon Dhillon, 28, was found guilty of attempted robbery before Deputy District Court Judge Paul Kelly last September.
The court had been told he put his arm around a taxi driver's neck when he discovered he did not have enough money for the fare.
Police initially recorded that '70-odd dollars' had been found in his pocket, but Mr Dhillon told Mr Justice Michael Stuart-Moore in the Court of Appeal yesterday he was later found to have $107 on him.
He said this was proof he had no motive for robbery. The appeal hearing was told the journey would not have been more than $70.
Mr Dhillon said he struck the driver's neck while arguing about the fare but said the whole thing was a misunderstanding.