Barrouallie man jailed for burglarising Pastor’s home

A MAN FROM BARROUALLIE was sentenced to prison for eight months after stealing US$440 worth of items from an American pastor, who moved to St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) almost a decade ago to do missionary work.

Shorn John appeared at the Serious Offences Court before Chief Magistrate, Colin John on April 15, 2025 where he admitted that he entered the dwelling house of John Wilburn of Barrouallie as a trespasser on December 4, 2024, and stole one HP laptop valued at US$300; a white apple air pod valued at US$100; a green notebook valued US$10; and a brown American backpack valued at US$30, the property of John Wilburn, and at the time, had with him a weapon of offence, a knife.

The facts are that on the date in question at 4:40 a.m, Wilburn was walking through a matching five foot steel gate.

Wilburn also has a camera set up at his home that is connected to his personal cellular phone. This camera system has a motion-sensor protocol that alerts Wilburn of persons in his home.

While walking, Wilburn received an alert to his phone from the camera system that someone was in his house. The pastor immediately went back to his home where he met John in his house.

Wilburn then shut the door with the intention to lock John inside; however, this was to no avail. John exited the house through the same door and met Wilburn at the bottom of his porch steps.

John took the knife he had in his hand and swung it at Wilburn in order to escape. Wilburn reported the matter to the Barrouallie Police Station the same morning.

After PC Grant and PC Gibson visited the scene with Wilburn, a statement was recorded from him. Five days later, Wilburn returned to the police station with a number of his items and said that John’s brother had brought them to him.

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