Thief says he took chairs for his hang out spot

When a 54-year-old man spotted four chairs in another man’s garage he thought they would look good “around the block” where he hangs out.

So, between 10 p.m. on April 26 and 5: 30 a.m. the next day, Earl Randolph Gittens, of Marshall Gardens, Bridge Gap, St Michael entered the premises of Ricardo Redman and stole the chairs worth $400.

The homeowner handed over CCTV to police on which Gittens, a butcher, was caught committing the act. Police apprehended him on May 9.

Today before the Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes Gittens pleaded guilty to stealing the items.

“I was coming from work and saw the chairs and say they will look good around the block that I sit down and hang out,” said Gittens, who has 31 previous convictions, nine for burglary and 13 for theft. “But it was a mistake I mek . . . and I am very sorry about it.”

He also admitted to breaching the previous 24-hour COVID-19 curfew directive on April 27 when he was outdoors at 12:10 a.m. without a reasonable explanation.

“I came from Chapman Lane killing some chickens,” Gittens said in his explanation to the District ‘D’ Magistrates’ Court. He went on to say that he needed the money to pay his rent as he would have no fixed place of abode if that was not done.

Chief Magistrate Weekes was not impressed.

“What about the girls at Chefette . . . what about the barbers, the cosmetologists, don’t they have to wait . . . Don’t they have to pay rent and feed their families as well?

“You have no excuse at all for being outdoors when you should not. What if someone in Chapman Land was infected with COVID-19? Everybody walking around . . . no responsibility in this place,” the Chief Magistrate stated before he sentenced Gittens to six months in prison on each offence to run concurrently.

A restitution order was also granted for Redman to get back his chairs.