By Carlena Knight
A 53-year-old Cooks Hill man who pleaded guilty to several offences – including breaking and entering, and theft – was sentenced on Friday to pay $2,750 dollars in St John’s Magistrates Court.
Wenty Williams pleaded guilty to breaking into the Fisheries complex at West Bus Station on July 25and stealing items worth more than $1,000, plus $75 in cash. He was fined $1,275 for that charge.
He also admitted to malicious damage and breaking national curfew regulations, for which he was fined $975 and $500 respectively. Failure to pay the first charge will see him spending eight months in prison, while the second offence carries a three-month custodial sentence for default.
Williams was caught on camera damaging the burglar bars of the building, entering the property, apparently counting the cash and removing the money and the items.
While he was in police custody, the authorities executed a search warrant at his home and, instead of finding the stolen items, they discovered 17 cannabis plants.
In addition to the theft, he was charged with unlawful possession of cannabis plants and cultivating said plants.
Appearing before Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh yesterday, Williams was reprimanded for the possession of the plants and fined $600 for their cultivation. If he fails to pay the money forthwith, he will have to spend three months in prison.
The defaults are to run concurrently so he will only spend eight months in prison if he doesn’t pay.