Thief gets nine months in prison

A man dressed in all black was caught on camera illegally entering a house where a woman suffering from dementia lived. He stole a hair trimmer and blender but left behind his clothing scattered on the floor of the house.

When he appeared before the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on Monday he was sentenced to nine months in prison.

Jean Troy Burnett, 43, of no fixed place of abode appeared before Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes where he admitted to entering the home of Louis Webster as a trespasser and stealing a blender, hair trimmer and $150 on July 12. The value of the stolen property was $650.

Webster lives with her mother who has dementia. At around 11 a.m. on the date of the incident, Webster left home for work leaving his mother alone. The hair trimmer was left in the bathroom and the blender in the kitchen. On returning home in the evening, he noticed a white towel, a navy blue tee-shirt, a black and white vest, a blue short jeans pants and multi-coloured swimming goggles on the floor, which did not belong to him or his mother.

On viewing the CCTV footage, he saw Burnett, dressed in all black with a black haversack open his front door and enter the house. He also saw him leaving the house with the same haversack. Webster did not report the matter to police initially.

However, on July 18, Webster was travelling along Goddard’s Road, St Michael when he saw Burnett whom he recognised from the footage. He confronted him and he ran. Webster took chase, apprehending him in the St Stephen’s Hill Nursery’s car park. It was then that the matter was reported to police.

Burnett took police to St Stephen’s Hill where he showed them the hair trimmer and blender.