‘I wanted to buy something for school’

“Do you want to become a jailbird? Stop stealing and get out of people’s property.”

These were the stern words by Acting Senior Magistrate Donald Browne as he chided a 17 year old from Clifton Union Island who appeared before him on two charges of stealing. He pled guilty when he appeared at the Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.{{more}}

He was fined $573 by January 17, 2007, serve 50 hours of community service and was placed on probation for one year.

He was charged for entering the house of Bernard Dick of Union Island on August 13 and stealing a quantity of items amounting to $1750. He also stole EC$250 and US$150 cash.

Dick, had traveled to mainland on the same day; on his return on August 16 he discovered the items missing.

On November 26, police officers saw the defendant in the vicinity of the airport and requested to search his bag in which some of the items from Dick’s premises were found.

The young lad was also charged for entering Allen’s Enterprise Boutique at Union Island between November 24-26 and stealing a quantity of items belonging to Kenroy Campbell, costing $932. Campbell left his home for St Vincent on the November 24 and returned on November 28 only to meet a window opened and some of his items gone.

At the police station, Campbell later identified some of the items found in the defendant’s bag. All of his items were recovered.

“What are you stealing for?” asked Browne.

“I wanted the money to buy something for school,” he replied.

“You are a young man, why don’t you go and look for a job, when I was in law school I had to wash dishes to earn extra money.”