Senior Magistrate throws the book at repeat burglar

MONEESH DAVIS, who earlier this year changed his plea to guilty to avoid the viewing of surveillance footage, was back in court to answer two more charges this week.

While on March 20, 2018 Davis had been sentenced to four years behind bars for the December 2017 burglary of Gibson Construction Ltd, a mere day after he committed that offence, he is said to have committed another burglary and theft at two different businesses.

Davis, who had apparently been on a crime spree just before Christmas last year, was charged with burglary of the building of ‘D’s Intimate Selection’ on December 17, and later with, on December 21, handling stolen goods from the said store.

He was also charged with, on December 17, theft at the ‘Playtime Store’, owned and operated by Gamal Doyle.

The court first dealt with the facts as it related to ‘D’s Intimate Selection.’ The owner and operator of said store, one Smart, indicated to the court that on December 17 when she was preparing to head in to work she received a phone call. This call informed her that her store had been broken into.

When she reached her store, she discovered the door wide open and the entire place ransacked. She realized that some items were missing after checking.

During the time that investigations were ongoing, the owner of the store had to go into to the Criminal Investigations Department( CID). The defendant had been at CID because of another report that had been made against him. As luck would have it, Davis was wearing some of the items of clothing that had been stolen from the store. Smart recognized his shoes and boxers.

Changing his focus from clothing, Davis was caught on camera stealing a toy from the ‘Playtime’ store. A monster truck had been placed at the entrance of the store, and when the truck was found to be missing, surveillance was checked. It apparently showed the defendant removing the truck by way of crawling up the stairs, lying on his back, taking the toy, and sliding back down the stairs.

If Davis had been before any other court other than the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court, he may have been able to successfully plead his case for a more merciful sentence.

However, “This is not the record of the Moneesh Davis I know,” Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett indicated. The defendant’s previous break in to the Gibson Construction Ltd building was not on the record given, neither were three other matters.

“I’ve been talking to you for so long…since I’ve been at the District Two court in Biabou,” the Magistrate told the defendant who had been pleading shortly before. “I cannot have mercy on you, Mr Davis because you had no mercy on this lady here.”

The owner of “D’s Intimate Selection” had stated that Davis’ mother had said she would pay for the items but “now we calling her, she not answering.”

Burnett told the 30-yearold defendant that he “cannot be living a life of burglary,” further saying, “I’m sorry but what you’re asking me to do…run them into one (have the sentences run concurrently) …I am not likely to do that.”

“You have been doing this for too long,” Burnett stated.

The Magistrate sentenced Davis to spend four years in jail for the burglary to “D’s Intimate Selection” and nine months for handling stolen goods from the store, these sentences to run consecutively.

Nine months was handed down for the theft from the “Playtime Store,” which will run concurrently to the others.

“That’s the most I can do for you,” Burnett ended.

MONEESH DAVIS (fp)