BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Cheese Bandits, Resia Caines and Neil Dalton, once again begged for leniency today (Feb. 21) before they were handed their fate by Her Worship Josephine Mallalieu-Webbe at the Basseterre Magistrate's Court.
The couple were charged with and pleaded guilty to four counts of larceny; offences they committed on February 12, 2012.
With tear-filled eyes, Caines pleaded with the magistrate to go easy on her.
"Just be lenient with me please your worship," Caines begged, while Dalton simply said, "Be lenient with me."
After listening to their pleas, Her Worship gave each of them a total of 16 months - four months for each account which would run concurrently, which means that they will only be in prison for four months.
Before handing down the sentence, the magistrate asked to see the items that were stolen.
Upon seeing them, she immediately said, “That is a lot of cheese for one family. I wonder if you guys were going to sell them.”
Caines told the magistrate that that was indeed their plans, noting that when she was caught she did not have any money.
In response, the magistrate said, “It is one thing to take for yourself, but this looks like you were going to make a business out of it. This looks like you were going to sell to a rum shop…one of those that sells bread and cheese on the side.”
On February 12, 2012, Caines and Dalton were seen on surveillance camera stealing at Valu Mart IGA Supermarket and were approached by a manager of the store.
After a brief tussle among the three, the manager took a bag that was being carried by Caines and pointed to the item that was within, indicating he was aware that they were attempting to steal it.
The manager opened two other bags that the couple had taken with them to the supermarket that they left at the bag holding area near the store’s exit and observed a number of items carrying the logo of two other supermarkets - C&C Super Foods and King’s Pavilion Supermarket.
Being suspicious, the manager contacted the supermarkets and it was discovered that the items were stolen.
After being contacted, police went to the scene, observed the couple’s activities on the surveillance camera and formerly arrested and charged them.
The items stolen from King's Pavilion Supermarket were two blocks of Yellow Cheddar Cheese valued at EC$167.45 and one tin of cheese, weighing one kg, valued at EC44.52, totalling EC$211.97.
A tin of Red and Yellow Cheese valued at EC$46.22 was stolen from C&C Super Foods, while one tin of Three Men Cooked Chicken Salami valued at EC$32.64 was stolen from J's Shop and Save.
The couple attempted to steal a 2.2kgs tin of Crest Processed Cheese, valued at EC$96.65, from Valu Mart IGA Supermarket where they were eventually caught.
