Crop thief jailed for six months

Alvin Austin Fields is now serving a six-month sentence at Dodds Prison for stealing crops from a farm on several occasions this month.

Magistrate Elwood Watts imposed the sentence on the 63-year-old from Fairy Valley, Christ Church when he appeared before the St Matthias Magistrates’ Court this week.

Fields admitted to stealing 70 ears of corn valued $175 and 15 pounds of peppers worth $30, from a cornfield belonging to Jeffrey Nurse, at Gibbons Boggs, Christ Church, between February 28 and March 7.

For that offence, he was sentenced to six months in prison.

Sometime between March 8 and 9, he stole 25 ears of corn worth $62.50 from the same field. He was convicted, reprimanded and discharged on that offence.

Fields also admitted that he stole six ears of corn worth $12 belonging to Egbert Maloney, between March 7 and 11, and was convicted, reprimanded and discharged on that charge as well.

Prosecutor Sergeant Victoria Taitt told the court that Maloney cultivates various crops at Wilcox Hill, Christ Church. The farmer discovered on March 11 that his crop was missing.

Before Magistrate Watts sentenced Fields, his conviction card showed that he had seven prior convictions, including wounding, burglary, possession of cannabis and theft.