Burglar jailed for three years

A 26-year-old who broke into the home of two sisters who had always shown him kindness, and stole over $10,790 worth of items and a total of $5,454 in cash, has been sentenced to three years in prison.  

 Some of the stolen items, to the tune of $7,718. had been recovered by the police, but the $5454 in cash, the defendant Alex Alexander of Largo Heights, had spent already.  

 Alexander is not unknown to the court. A repeat offender, his penchant for crimes of dishonesty was sparked as a juvenile and continued after this. The now-26-year-old is also no stranger to prison, having just finished a term in January of this year.  

 He has apparently been working as a conductor since his release.

 On Wednesday, March 17,  Alexander admitted his guilt that he, between March 9 and 14, at Largo Heights, entered the dwelling house of Kyishma Compton as a trespasser and stole jewellery, laptops, a stereo, a speaker, a projector, fruta and curtains belonging to either Kyishma or Zofeyah Compton. The total value of the items stolen from Kyishma was $9370, and cash $5300. Items valued $1420, and cash $154 was stolen from Zofeyah.  

 The Largo Heights resident had used an opportunity when the women were away from their home between March 9 and 14. When the sisters returned on the evening of March 14 they found a door damaged and forced open, the premises ransacked and the items missing. 

 The police carried out investigations and Alexander was picked up. He admitted to the burglary and took the police to a yard at Lodge Village and handed over some of the stolen items. The money was spent, he said.  

The defendant told Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett, that he goes by the sisters sometimes, and they give him something to eat. The sisters, who were in court, noted that he passes by the yard, and may ask for something, and they would give it to him and he would leave. They have known him for over 18 years.  

“I does work pon a passenger van but the van dem been strike” Alexander explained, and he was home, feeling hungry. He broke into the house supposedly for something to eat, and saw the items and took them up.  

 He used the money to buy items, but after using it, the money “end up and done”. He also tried to sell some of the items.  

 Since he makes $120 every week and does other odd jobs, the defendant stated that he wanted to try and pay back the sisters, as they said they wanted their money back.  

 The magistrate noted that almost all of the offences on the defendants’ record were for theft and burglary. 
 
 “Alex has been in my court before on many occasions. And the same thing that he’s doing today, he has done it all of the times. He’s talking to you and he will appear to be crying, and I ain’t see no water yet,” the magistrate stated.  

 He told Alexander that it was a good thing that the sisters, despite knowing he had been to prison, still treated him as a normal citizen. “…Not many persons would do that. But you have breached the trust of the complainants,” he told him.  
 Alexander commented that if the vans hadn’t been on strike, he would have been at work, so it wouldn’t have happened.  
 The matter was stood down for deliberation.  

Before sentencing, the magistrate asked for their input. One of the sisters revealed that she was very upset and disappointed. She was especially upset about the money, and seemed to have felt taken advantage of. Her sister concurred.  

Alexander said he was sorry about what happened and that it wouldn’t happen again.  

 Sentencing the 26-year-old, the magistrate considered, among other things, the value of the items, what was recovered, what was not recovered, that the sister’s privacy was invaded, the damage to the door, the guilty plea and Alexander’s telling criminal record.  

He arrived at a sentence of three years in prison following the sentencing guidelines.