Clothes thief gets 18 months in prison

A man who admitted on Wednesday to stealing $270,000 worth of clothes last October, and who had been on a suspended sentence for a similar offence, has been ordered imprisoned for 18 months.

McCoy Stephenson, 35, was handed the sentence by Parish Judge Sasha-Marie Ashley after pleading guilty to the charge of simple larceny in the St James Parish Court.

The court was told that on October 16, 2022, Stephenson was in the process of stealing items of clothing valued at $270,000 from a container belonging to the complainant, when he was seen and confronted by a police officer.

Stephenson ran from the scene but was later accosted. Under caution, he reportedly said, "Officer, mi a go pay fi dem." He was then arrested and charged.

It was also disclosed that Stephenson had previously been before the St James Parish Court in 2022 for a similar offence, for which he had got an eight-month sentence, which was suspended for two years. He is currently serving a six-month sentence, which was imposed by the St Elizabeth Parish Court last month, also for stealing.

"You are on a suspended sentence already, which was imposed by me last year. What do you have to say for yourself?" Judge Ashley asked Stephenson.

"Give me a chance," Stephenson begged.

"What is going to be different this time? You have made a career out of stealing," Ashley replied. "If you are going to steal again, you are going to end up back here. You are the author of your own destiny."

Stephenson was subsequently sentenced to one year's imprisonment at hard labour, to run consecutively with the eight-month sentence from 2022. That sentence will run concurrently with the six-month sentence that he is currently serving.