A 39-year-old Tobago man has been sentenced to five years hard labour after being charged for shop breaking and larceny.
Fidel Skeete, of Skeete Trace, Golden Grove Road, Buccoo, received the sentence after he appeared before Magistrate Andriana Cedeno in the Scarborough Magistrate 1st Court on Wednesday, October 9, 2019.
Approximately 24 hours after his release from the Scarborough Prison on Thursday, October 3, 2019, where he served a three-year jail term in prison for an office breaking and larceny, Skeete was arrested for a shop breaking and larceny in the Shirvan Road district by Sgt Piggott of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and a team of police officers.
On Thursday, October 3, the victim, Judy Baker, 53, a proprietress of Mt Pleasant Local Road, Mt Pleasant, said she secured her business place, J’s Mini Mart around 10:30pm by locking all doors and windows and went into her adjacent dwelling house.
Around 11:15 pm she was alerted by dogs barking on the outside.
She subsequently went to investigate and observed the accused leaving her shop with several items wrapped in his jersey.
She became suspicious and carried out a check on her mini-mart where she observed that a window on the southern side of the mini-mart was open.
Investigations led to her discovering several beverages missing from the refrigerator in the mini-mart. A report was made to the Shirvan Road Police Station, enquiries were conducted and Fidel Skeete was arrested.
Sgt Wilson of the Shirvan Road CID continued enquiries and charged Fidel Skeete for the offence. Fidel appeared before the Scarborough Magistrates 1st court on Monday, October 7, 2019, and pleaded guilty to the charge.
He was also ordered to pay compensation in the sum of $268 or face four weeks simple imprisonment.
This conviction marks Fidel’s 8th jail conviction within the past 10 years.