A man who walked out a shop without paying a $173 phone repair bill was yesterday fined almost three times the amount he dodged.

Kevin Webb, 58, was fined $500 after he pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court to leaving the store without payment for the work done on his mobile phone.

The court heard that Webb, from Warwick, visited CPR Cell Phone Repair in Washington Lane, Hamilton, on July 8 last year to have his damaged iPhone fixed.

An employee ran free tests and told Webb that repairs, which included replacement of a water-damaged screen and camera, would cost about $173.

But when Webb returned a week later to pick up the iPhone, he left the store without paying.

The court heard a staff member tried to stop Webb from leaving the shop and called police after he left.

Police later traced and arrested Webb.

He told officers: “I already paid for the phone.”

Webb told the court yesterday that the incident was a misunderstanding.

But he added “I’m tired of arguing with the people”.

He said: “Most of this evidence is wrong and I feel like I was robbed.

“Just charge me however you want to charge me.”

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo ordered Webb to pay the fine by February 18.

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