BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - A 49-year-old man was this morning (June 27) sentenced to serve nine months hard labour at Her Majesty’s Prison for stealing some four pounds of saltfish and a number of groceries from SL Horsford’s Valu Mart Supermarket.
Steven Georges of Taylors Housing Project appeared this morning before Her Worship Josephine Mallalieu-Webbe at the Basseterre Magistrate’s Court and pleaded guilty to the larceny charge but begged the magistrate to give him “a break”.
According to the evidence read in court, at about 10:35 a.m. on Sunday, January 19, 2011, police responded to a report of shoplifting at the supermarket.
On arrival, officers spoke to the manager and were told that Georges had packed a bag with about four pounds of saltfish, one tin of ham, two tins of peanuts, two large bottles of Sunquick and three tins of corned beef and left the supermarket without paying for the items.
He was however apprehended by an off-duty police officer who was at the time shopping at the same entity.
Georges was arrested and taken to the Basseterre Police Station and charged with larceny.
Before sentencing the accused, the magistrate asked him what he had to say in his defence, to which he replied, “Please give me a break.”
Georges indicated to the court that he had paid for one item and was still within the supermarket when the officer apprehended him.
In response, the magistrate asked if he had intended to steal the items.
“Ah didn’t mek up me mind…then the police hold me,” he told the magistrate.
Georges also told the magistrate that he wanted to explain certain things to her but not in the presence of the persons who were in the courtroom.
The magistrate granted him his request and after listening to his explanation sentenced him to nine months with hard labour.
The court was told that Georges had seven previous convictions, which included shop and house breaking and larceny, and he was only released from jail in May after serving a seven-year sentence for breaking into a church amd stealing.
