Akeem Smith, 17, was on Tuesday sentenced to 36 months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to stealing over $1 million in gold jewellery and raw gold during a break-in at Aranka Landing.
Magistrate Judy Latchman handed down the sentence at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where Smith, a pork knocker of Lot 28 Haslington East Coast Demerara, was charged with the crime.
It was alleged that between March 4 and March 12, 2013, Smith broke and entered a shop at Aranka Landing in the Cuyuni River and stole two gold rings, valued $119,000, two gold earrings, valued $98,000, two gold chains, valued $63,000, and three ounces and 19 pennyweight of raw gold, valued $824,000. The items, which had a total value of $1,104,000, were the property of Winston Anderson.
Police Corporal Vishnu Hunt, who served as prosecutor in the case, told the court that the Smith and another man, Frank Thomas, broke and entered the shop and stole the articles mentioned in the charge.
Hunt said that Sunidat Ramchand, who was left in charge of the shop, made a report to the police and an investigation was launched into the matter. He said that Thomas was subsequently arrested with some of the articles. He said that sometime after, Smith was also arrested.
Smith, who did not have an attorney, pleaded guilty to the charge and he offered the court an explanation for his actions.
He told the court that he was used by Thomas to steal the articles. The young man said that Thomas told him to jump through the window of the shop and he gave him a haversack to in which to place the items. He said that Thomas had promised to give him a cut from the theft but he never saw him back afterward. He said that he was very sorry and asked for another chance to be a better person.
Magistrate Latchman said that the sentence was based on the nature of the offence, the seriousness and prevalence of the offence and the defendant’s age.
