Steel rods thief gets 18 months

Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle sentenced a man to 18 months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the theft of a quantity of steel rods.

Joseph Nobriega, 36, a dray cart operator who said he lives at 118 Da Silva Street, Kitty begged the magistrate to be lenient with him. Nobriega was charged with breaking into the bond of Dhanpaul Dyal and stealing $60,000 worth of steel rods.  

“Is not the quantity the complainant say,” Nobriega insisted to the magistrate. “I’m kindly asking you to be lenient with me,” he said, telling the magistrate that he is medically unfit and does “weird things” every now and again.

The magistrate initially sentenced the man to nine  months but this was changed when the prosecution intervened and said that Nobreiga was not a first offender. Nobreiga was escorted to the chute protesting that the magistrate was being too harsh on him.