(Trinidad Express) A MAN who blamed the Covid-19 pandemic for him stealing electrical wire from a school, has been sentenced to time in prison.
Kent Taylor on Tuesday faced San Fernando magistrate Lisa Singh-Phillip charged with school breaking and larceny.
Police prosecutor Sgt Harold Ishmael told the court that on June 4, an information technician at SAM Caribbean Limited located on Blanche Fraser Street, San Fernando, secured the school. He returned the following week and discovered 150 feet of electrical wire which was attached to the building missing. It was valued at $3,000.
On June 16 he also locked the school and, on viewing camera footage of the institution the following Saturday, he made a report to the police. It was later discovered that a door to the cafeteria was broken and six tables valued $3,600 and six folding chairs valued $1,800 missing.
Reports were made to officers at the Mon Repos police. Following investigations, Taylor told the police while at the station on Monday, “Officer, things hard with this covid-19, I really take the wire.” He also admitted that he stole the tables and chairs and sold them to a person he did not know. He apologized.
Constables Hanuman and Boodram charged him with the offences. Constable Supersad was also involved in the investigations.
Before the court, Singh-Phillip sentenced Taylor to three months hard labour on each of the offences. The sentences are to run concurrently. He will serve three months in prison.
