Convicted North Sophia thief caught stealing again, fined

A North Sophia man who was last September fined for stealing from his father, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court yesterday charged with stealing machinery from his uncle and was fined.

Wazim Ferreira, 23, of 111 North Sophia, pleaded guilty to a charge which stated that between January 6th and January 8th, he broke and entered the storage room of his uncle Moses Ferreira and stole a sanding machine and a power saw valued at $65,000 each, for a total of $130,000.

He pleaded guilty to the charge.

Another man Robert Feneiro, 65, of Lot 30 Liliendaal was also implicated in the matter. He was charged with receiving from the number one accused, a sanding machine, property of Moses Ferreira, knowing same to be stolen or unlawfully obtained. Feneiro pleaded guilty to the charge. He told the court that he does security and maintenance work.

Wazim Ferreira
Wazim Ferreira

Prosecutor Neville Jeffers related to the court that on January 6th, at around 5pm, Moses secured his home and left, but when he returned two days later, he found the roof of the storeroom prised open and observed the aforementioned items missing.

A report was made to the police and Wazim was arrested and confessed to the crime.

According to Jeffers, Wazim provided the police with information which led to the recovery of the sanding machine which was found in Feneiro’s possession. The court was told that Feneiro admitted to purchasing the machine for $3000.

Wazim told Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan that his uncle had promised to “bless him” with a “fine piece” but did not, so he took the articles.

Feneiro, meantime, told the court he was sorry for what he did and pleaded with the magistrate to be lenient in her sentencing.

Wazim was ordered to pay a fine of $50,000 or spend six months in prison. Feneiro, on the other hand was fined $35,000 or alternatively, will spend three months in prison.

In September, Wazim had appeared before the Chief Magistrate charged with breaking into his father’s home and stealing a glass cutting machine, a bicycle, a bicycle pump, a tin of paint, and an artificial gold chain, all amounting to $128,000. He had pleaded guilty to the crime and was fined $50,000 or alternatively, eight weeks imprisonment. In that matter as well, another man, Robert Jawahir, was charged with receiving stolen property.

Jawahir, 54, of 20 Pike Street, Kitty, was charged with buying the stolen glass cutting machine from Wazim Ferreira for $99,000 but the charge against him was subsequently dismissed.