painting lost his appeal to change his guilty plea yesterday.

Calvin Leon Richardson, 25, had admitted in Magistrates' Court in May to wilfully and unlawfully damaging the property of Mayfair Ltd., causing damage in the amount of $400.

In Supreme Court yesterday, Puisne Judge the Hon. Justice Ground told Richardson he was bound by that plea.

Richardson said: "I took the blame because they told us that no-one would get paid until they found out who damaged the property.

"I said that I would take the heat if the contractor paid the court fine and me.

"I only pleaded guilty so that everyone would get paid. But instead they terminated all of us. No-one has gotten paid.

"If a proper investigation was done they would have found out that I wasn't guilty.'' Richardson added he is owed $700.

In Magistrates' Court, prosecutor Sgt. Earl Kirby told the court Richardson had been hired to paint a house on North Shore Road.

The job was finished on May 21, but the owner of the home was abroad.

Richardson realised he would not be getting paid right away and returned to the home.

He covered the west side of the house with graffiti and threw white paint against the kitchen window, Sgt. Kirby said.

Richardson told the court: "I took action because I thought I was being taken advantage of.'' Senior Magistrate the Wor. Will Francis fined him $900, of which $400 will go to the owner of the house.

Crown Counsel Mr. Melvin Douglas said: "The plea was not equivocal. If the defendant had stated in the court below what he said, it would have been on record. Your Lordship can not go behind the guilty plea.'' Mr. Justice Ground reduced Richardson's compensation of pay to $240 and left his fine as it was.