“My worship, we is very poor people. Meh children-mother die the other day and meh children en have nothing to eat. It really hard fuh we,” the 38-year-old labourer explained after pleaded guilty to a break and enter and larceny charge.
Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson, who was clearly not impressed with his impassioned plea, later sentenced him to 16 months imprisonment.
Between October 19 and 22 at Georgetown, John Vieira of 151 Middle Road, La Penitence broke and entered the dwelling place of Rajeshwar Singh and stole items valued $1.1 million.
Vieira told the court that he saw a hole in the wall of the property in question, and decided to enter and steal some items. He said that he stole two drums, a quantity of window curtains and utensils.
The thief said that he had returned the stolen items to the virtual complainant (VC) and strongly denied knowing about the bulk of the other items mentioned in the charge which caused to the value to be in excess of $1 million.
According to Vieira, he did not put the hole in the wall, it was already there when he arrived and he speculated that “thieves would probably go into the building from that said hole.”
The magistrate then asked him if he knew that the offence which he had committed carries a jail sentence. It was at this point that Vieira launched into his hardship plea.
However, the acting chief magistrate told him that this was no justification for breaking into someone else’s property and stealing their belongings.
The VC, who was also in court, related that he had secured his business and gone home but when he returned he noticed that a hole had been made in the wooden wall and several items were missing.
The prosecution who corroborated what the VC said added that based on investigations by the police, the defendant was later arrested and charged.
