Man sent to prison for stealing cloth

An employee of Ping's Fabric Store, who along with three co-workers stole almost $700,000 worth of upholstery, was sentenced to five months' imprisonment at hard labour in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Thursday.

Shane Headlam, 55, pleaded guilty to larceny as a servant, along with his co-defendants, Geovannie Barnett, Chevon Harriott and Kareem Forbes. It was reported that on April 28, 2022, the men were seen removing $620,000 worth of upholstery and other material from a warehouse and into a truck. The incident was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV). Headlam, the court heard, acted as a watchman. In a sentencing hearing, Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole-Montaque expressed shock after reading the social enquiry report. It revealed that this was Headlam's third incident at the fabric store, where he was employed for more than 20 years.

"I think you need a period of imprisonment. Even when you were younger in your employment with the company, you were a part of a scheme that hustled and gave customers extra fabric and that sort of thing. At your age, you should have known better," she said. On the first occasion, Headlam is said to have packaged expensive material and left it at the baggage counter, with a tag affixed to it. He reportedly gave the tag to an alleged customer who gave Headlam money. In the second incident, the court heard that Headlam was assigned to pick up $80,000 in change from the bank but only handed over $70,000 to the teller.

"It was said at first the bank teller was under scrutiny for the difference in cash but [it was found] under a folded cardboard where you sat," the judge read from the report. Headlam, however, said the money fell under the desk while he was checking it.

"When I come back, the manager found it under the desk," Headlam said. But the judge was not swayed.

Forbes reportedly worked at the company for seven years and is believed to have acted as the mastermind in the latest robbery. Cole-Montaque stressed that Forbes breached the trust of the complainant as he was a senior member of staff.

"He [the boss] did not just see you as someone at work, but if the boss have you playing football with his son, it tells that you are moving so. What a slap to his face," the judge said.

When allowed to speak before sentencing, Headlam expressed sorrow for his actions.

Harriott said, "When I come work, dat is what I see going on." Forbes bowed his head while Barnett stood motionless.

"A message needs to be sent and there must be a deterrent and I need a message to send back to the rest of the people in the employment that if them thief, them a go prison," Cole-Montaque said.

Forbes, Barnett and Harriott were sentenced to six months' imprisonment at hard labour, suspended for 18 months, with supervision for the first year. The men were also made subjects of a fingerprint order.