Adams gets six months for theft

Even though Julian Adams remained adamant that he had found eight American Express travellers’ cheques, a driving permit and a Nokia phone, and was just waiting to return the items to the owner,{{more}} he pleaded guilty to having the items in his possession, reasonably suspected of being stolen or unlawfully obtained.

When Adams appeared at the Kingstown Magistrates Court yesterday, Senior Magistrate Donald Browne sentenced Adams to six months in jail, following the guilty plea.

The court heard that 61-year-old Canadian national Stanley Carew secured his apartment at Lower Bay, Bequia before going to the beach on February 4, 2012.

He later returned and discovered the apartment had been broken into and the items mentioned were missing.

The matter was reported to the police and investigations led to Adams’ arrest.

Adams explained to the court that he was at the harbour in Bequia, when he saw a bag with some cheques and a paper next to it.

“I was going to give it back to the man…,” Adams explained.

Prosecutor Inspector Glenford Gregg informed the court that cheques had already been signed by Carew.

“St Vincent and the Grenadines has lost its bananas and no matter what we do, we may not recover it. We now depend on Tourism and these people are helping our economy…While they are helping our economy, we have thugs like you who are breaking their houses and running them out of SVG…You people will not leave,” Magistrate Browne said.

Browne said he now believes that Carew is going to think that people in SVG are thieves and vagabonds.

After sentencing, Adams cursed expletives and when told to be quiet, he hurled more expletives at the police officer.

Inspector Gregg instructed other officers to take Adams out of the court and charge him for the use of offensive language.

Magistrate Browne also instructed the arresting police officer to tell Carew that Adams had been sentenced for the crime.(KW)