Drugs did it

Shane Rene Bartlett today blamed “dope” for his criminal actions saying it sent him “wild”.

The 36-year-old, of no fixed place of abode, gave the explanation to Magistrate Douglas Frederick today moments after pleading guilty to several charges.

He admitted that on December 31, 2019 he stole a battery pack worth $1,300 and a drill machine worth $250 and eight spanners costing $100 belonging to Neil Leonard and also unlawfully assaulted him. He however could not plead to the indictable charge that he threatened to burn Leonard’s house.

However, he said he was the one who entered Chetamra’s as a trespasser between January 17 and 18 and stole a cash register worth $450, an assortment of drinks as well as nuts, chips and cookies totaling $596 belonging to Cheryl Lovell.

Bartlett also confessed to entering the house of David Cadogan as a trespasser on January 8 and stealing a laptop worth $1,000, two pairs of shoes worth $950, 16 beverages worth $32.75 belonging to the homeowner and BDS$5 belonging to Shimico Hunte.

After the facts of the cases were detailed the accused addressed the court.

He said: “It was a long time before I got in trouble. This here happened when I was introduced to dope for the first time about a month or so… Man that there sent me wild man.”

Magistrate Frederick reminded him that he had been committing similar offences for a number of years.

“Back in 2013 I was under the influence of alcohol that kind of thing. But the dope sent me wild man,” Bartlett said before he was sentenced to 18 months in prison on the Chetamra burglary and three months to run consecutively for assaulting Leonard. He was also given nine months in prison for stealing Leonard’s battery pack and drill but that sentence will run concurrently with the others.

The convicted man will reappear in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on February 20 on the indictable threat charge.