Grandmother admits to supermarket theft

Denise Patricia Mayers wanted to get something special for her grandchildren, so she went into a supermarket and stole several items.

However, that landed her before Acting Chief Magistrate Graveney Bannister.

The 55-year-old of Kendal, St John stood in the dock of the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on Friday afternoon and pleaded guilty to stealing 18 packs of drink mix, two packs of cheese, two boxes of pizza crust, two packs of sliced ham, and two packs of fries, with a total value of $190.04, from Massy Stores Barbados Limited, on March 27.

Prosecutor Station Sergeant Chrisna Williams said the accused went to Massy Supermarket in Sky Mall, and security observed her taking up items from shelves. She placed them into a Massy shopping bag, headed to the cashier and paid for one item before leaving the store.

Mayers was stopped by security and searched, and when the items were called, the police were called.

Apologising to the court, Mayers stated, “I am sorry, Your Honour. I will never do it again”, explaining that she wanted to do something special for her grandchildren as her son was not working.

Expressing concern about the matter, Bannister said, “You are behaving like some of these gangsters out here—no disrespect to you—who go and do anything for a girlfriend even though they do not have the resources.

The items in the store are not yours, and you shouldn’t have gone in there to take up stuff because you want to do something special….Your judgement is very poor.

You do not place yourself in this predicament…Do you want to go to prison at 55?”

“This is not a case of forgetfulness. You paid for one item and kept the others hidden. It was calculated,” he added.

Mayers told the court that she was an outpatient of the Psychiatric Hospital and suffered from multiple sclerosis.

The retiree admitted to receiving a pension but said that it went directly to her sister’s bank account and that she was given $50 a week for her personal use.

Due to Mayers’ clean criminal record, the magistrate did not remand her pending sentencing when no one was in the courtroom to serve as her surety. Instead, he released her on $250 personal bail and adjourned the matter until April 8.

Magistrate Bannister also warned her to stay away from Massy Stores.

“If you feel like going into any of these stores and stealing anything—don’t, because you will not get a second chance,” he cautioned.