Bath Road resident Jeffery “Boom-Bolum Charles has changed his plea and as a result, was sentenced to one (1) year in jail.
According to the facts as presented by prosecutor corporal Dale LeBlanc, on Thursday, November 25, 2021, the defendant who is known to the police, was met with a bag on River Street and when asked what he had in the bag he left it and fled.
The police kept the bag and its contents (four (4) bottles of Candela Mess wine valued at $136.68 each).
A report was subsequently made to the police by a representative of the Diocese of Roseau who reported that a wire mesh window was broken and upon investigations, 108 bottles of wine with a total value of $3,690.36 missing.
Charles was subsequently arrested and charged with theft and receiving stolen goods since he indicated to the police, that the wine was given to him by someone.
After almost a year in custody, Charles decided to change his plea to “guilty for receiving stolen goods” and the charge of theft was withdrawn by the prosecution.
In his mitigation, he maintained that the wine was given to him by “someone” and he had not entered the churchyard to steal.
Before sentencing him, Chief Magistrate Candia Carette-George told him that, “It is one thing to steal, but to steal from the church and the people of God is grave.”
“You are no stranger to the court and you are not learning, you have already spent (11) months in custody, so taking everything into consideration the sentence of the court is (1) one year in jail,” she said.