Not even his cries for leniency would save him from being sent to jail as his two (2) years jail sentence that was suspended for three years in January 2022 imposed by Magistrate Michael Laudat was activated.
Desmond Joseph of Kennedy Avenue Roseau was told by the court that “his fate was in his hands” and that he was to be on good behaviour for three years commencing January 2022 after he pleaded guilty to a theft charge.
However, Joseph appeared before Chief Magistrate Candia Carette-George on November 8, 2022, on a charge of theft of a car battery belonging to Jeffers Isaac. The incident took place on September 24, 2022, after Isaac observed that his battery was stolen from his bus. He made a report to the police who got the help of a nearby surveillance camera footage showing the culprit to be Joseph.
He pleaded guilty to the offense and told the court that he sold the battery to get food for his children and he was sorry for what he had done. He begged the court not to impose a custodial sentence on him because of his children.
“You were supposed to have stayed out of trouble for three years commencing January 2022…even if I am minded not to impose a custodial sentence on you but my hands are tied, you have sent yourself to jail by breaching the court order, so this sentence is automatically activated,” she told him.
Hence he was sent to jail for two years and for the theft of the battery he was sentenced to six months in jail to run consecutively with his two years jail sentence.
