Redemption Sharpes resident back behind bars months after release

A repeat offender who was released from prison earlier this year asked not to be sent back to prison citing a budding relationship and a pending church service. However, Atiba Phillips will spend a year behind bars.

The 36/37 year old Redemption Sharpes resident, who has made headlines before with his aspirations as a convicted burglar to work as a security guard, appeared at the Serious Offences Court (SOC), this month on another burglary charge.

He admitted that between May 13 and 14 he entered the Harmony Investment Warehouse at Redemption Sharpes as a trespasser, and stole a case of MP kidney beans valued at EC$89, and a case of Turbo Berry Instant Chocolate valued at EC$98. In total, he pilfered EC$187 worth of items from 64-year-old business woman, Phyllis Laborde of Richmond Hill.
According to the facts presented by the police, law enforcement officers received a report from Phillips’ mother on May 20.

She contacted the police because of the way that her son was behaving at home. When the police arrived at her home, the mother gave them a plastic bag with the items listed in the charge and told them something. Corporal 296 Vertil Davis then visited the Warehouse, spoke with Laborde, and the business woman made checks. Laborde discovered that the items were missing and made a further report to the police. The police took the items into their possession as exhibits. In investigating, the Corporal took Phillips into custody and interviewed him. The Redemption Sharpes resident is said to have given a statement admitting to the offence.

“You have quite a record,” Chief Magistrate, Rechanne Browne observed after the antecedent record was produced for her perusal in sentencing.

In mitigation, and on the topic of not wanting to go to prison, the defendant said, “I have a friend working at the supermarket right? A lady friend of mine. We now getting together, every day we WhatsApping right?”

He continued that he was also applying for a job and had completed the application.

“Yes I telling the honest truth,” Phillips noted.

“I supposed to go to church Friday coming here,” he said, adding that the service started at four o’clock.

He specified which church he was talking about and gave the girl’s name which, coincidentally, is related to holiness.

Phillips was asked if he was honest with the female about his record of breaching protection orders made by the court. He said no.

He was asked if he told the woman that he was in court for damaging items and being disrespectful to his mother; he said no.

His record also lists stealing, trespassing, wounding and burglary offences.

However, the defendant seemed to say that he and his mother were on speaking terms.

He asked to be able to pay a fine for his crime.

“I going through some good times,” outside of prison, Phillips said, and going back inside will make him miss these times.

The prosecutor, Station Sergeant, Renrick Cato said that the last offence listed on Phillips’ criminal record before the court was burglary.

When asked when he was released from prison, Phillips responded, on April 9. He clarified that May, “meet me outside”.

“And since you come out your mother had to call police for you because of your behaviour, imagine that. You have a place of refuge after coming out of prison and you can’t behave yourself…” the magistrate asked him.

Continuing his presentation, the prosecutor also asked that the court should “take into account the number of offences of a similar nature the defendant has.”

He also said, “And if the defendant indicated to the court that he came out of prison on the 9th of April and between the 13th or 14th of May, committed the same offence, burglary, the court has a duty to protect the law abiding citizens of St Vincent and the Grenadines from persons who saw it fitting to live a life of theft or burglary. Persons must feel safe in their homes.”

The magistrate asked whether the mother had felt unsafe which is why she called the police. The information was that an Inspector of police lives above the family and there was a disagreement about money that the defendant wanted. Further, the court was informed that the mother and sister are afraid of Phillips.

The defendant did admit after some further discussion that “ting, does go down” at the home.

After standing down the matter, the magistrate delivered a sentence of one year imprisonment.