Eight years after man steals top-up vending machine

A man who pleaded guilty to stealing a cell phone top-up machine and cash has been sentenced to time served by a High Court judge.

Anderson Glenroy Gibbons of Church Street, Speightstown, St Peter had previously admitted that he stole the $24 000 Mobile E Top-Up vending machine and $1 230 in cash belonging to Cable and Wireless Limited between July 15 and 16, 2015.

The facts were that the telecoms company’s management received a call from one of its technicians on July 16, 2015, regarding the vending kiosk at Omni Mall in Speightstown, which had been stolen. Gibbons was arrested as a suspect.

He told police during an interview that he was at a nearby bar when another man told him to give him a hand with the machine. He gave a written statement admitting that he received $400 of the stolen money which he used to buy cocaine, food and sex.

Delivering the sentence in the No. 4 Supreme Court on Monday, Madam Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell pointed out that Gibbons has ten previous convictions, including one for handling stolen property, two for possession of apparatus for the misuse of illegal drugs, one for theft, four for burglary, one for robbery and one for cannabis.

She said the aggravating factors of the offence were the value of the stolen property, the fact that the theft was premeditated and not opportunistic, and the impact it had on the business of Cable and Wireless. No mitigating factors were found. Aggravating factors of the offender were that the offence was solely for financial gain and Gibbons’ previous convictions under the Theft Act. The lone mitigating factor was his addiction to cocaine at the time.

A starting point of four years was used. The convicted man was given discounts for his early guilty plea, the delay in the case being brought to trial, and the 508 days he had spent on remand.

“When the calculations are done, your sentence of one year, 142 days would be 507 days…. Your sentence will be deemed having been served,” Justice Smith-Bovell said.

However, Gibbons remained in custody as he had another matter before the court.