Businessman recalls how the theft of cable almost ruined his operation

Electrical supplies retailer Allan Simmons today pardoned three men who almost sank his company, when they robbed his business of thousands of dollars worth of copper cable a few years ago.

When the matter case came up before Justice Randall Worrell this afternoon during a virtual sitting of the High Court the businessman who owns Simmons Electrical Company Limited said one of the accused had approached him and pleaded for his forgiveness.

He however gave the No. 2 Supreme Court a candid recount of what the theft had cost the company.

“I didn’t spare the moment to tell him how serious the matter was. I could have lost my company during that process because being a small company in Barbados doing electrical work is very difficult to keep your head above water.

“This [had] a domino effect because at the time I had over 30 people working with me and I have lost some of those people since then because we actually had to take a dip. I had to send home people.

“Our company has suffered tremendously at the hands of these young men, during that period where I had to replace the cable . . . . even though we were fully insured. We have not been compensated for this cable. This cable was part of one of our projects that we were doing and we still had to honour it to the tune of $110 000.

Simmons further disclosed that another accused approached an associate of his asking for leniency and he explained that while that was easy to ask, the system was not lenient to him.

However the company was able to fight against the challenges he explained adding that he had “found the opportunity in my heart” to forgive the accused.

“I am in an environment where I know the importance of having our young men fully employed, to find an opportunity to make a contribution back to our society . . .  I hope that these young men will seek an opportunity in finding a positive way to make a contribution to our country.”

Simmons continued, “I don’t want to pursue it because it is of no benefit to me for them to go back to jail . . . . Let them make back that contribution. If we put them in jail now we have to feed them, clothe them and everything else. If they have found an opportunity to turn their lives around and not be involved in this type of activity and make a contribution – then I am for it.

“I have found it in my heart to forgive them,” he added.

The case which was prosecuted by Crown Counsel Romario Straker was then dismissed against the men who publicly expressed their gratitude in court to Simmons.

Justice Worrell also ordered a restitution order for the item to be returned.