Man with ‘half-baked’ bread story gets suspended sentence

After going into a supermarket at mid-afternoon to buy bread, a 23-year-old had no excuse in court, not even a half-baked one, for stealing a bottle of strong rum instead.

Without any mitigation before the court, Kendol Moses was lucky that he inspired a discussion when he was brought to court last Tuesday.

Moses joined many others who came shackled to the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court, charged with entering various stores in Kingstown, and exiting with items they hadn’t paid for.

The establishment that was targeted this time was the Randy’s Supermarket, and the item stolen on July 16, last Monday, a single bottle of strong rum.

With a guilty plea, the court heard how, due to the careful observations of the store supervisor, Moses was caught red-handed. The supervisor laid in waiting with the security guard after realizing that a bottle of strong rum previously on the shelves of the supermarket had disappeared from Moses’ hands. After the defendant was apprehended, and a search requested, the bottle was uncovered in the black plastic bag that he was carrying.

Although the court said that there was no previous conviction known against Moses, the defendant himself revealed that he had been charged for damaging a van two years ago.

“Prosecutor, I’m told he has a conviction,” Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett stated, noting, “I interact with them myself, because I want to trust the word of the police, but I don’t know…”
All that Moses offered the court by way of explanation was that he went to buy something, and the supermarket did not have what he was looking for. He claimed that he was looking for some bread.

“Some special bread?” Burnett asked.

The brakes on the story having been engaged, Burnett prompted Moses to “tell me…provide a reason,” why he jumped from bread to strong rum.
“I’m waiting on you Mr Moses,” Burnett told a silent defendant.

“Yeah that’s the point. You have no reason at all for removing a bottle of strong rum and not paying,” the Magistrate said.

Burnett noted that similar incidents happen daily, and that a “section of the population” believes that he could fine persons, but if the defendant had money he would have paid.

Jail, was the recommendation of the Prosecutor Corlene Samuel, who said finitely, “there is nothing else.”

Lawyer Grant Connell interjected with the opinion that if something happens daily, “the powers that be should see the issue and amend the law to deal with it.” He suggested “eight hard strokes” from a “very strong” police officer, and said that there were so many other alternatives. “When he puts his hand on it…he would remember the eight strokes,” he explained.

Attorney Ronald Marks, who was also present, suggested that because of the “relatively small amount,” that Moses would be a candidate for a suspended sentence.

Burnett, saying that the sentence was his own and no one else’s, sentenced Moses to three months in jail, to be suspended for six months.

“It’s up to you to turn your life around,” he told the defendant.