Jail for "hungry" bandits

A 30-year-old man was yesterday admonished by a Port of Spain magistrate for stealing a cellphone from the deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of National Security because he was hungry.

"People must work for what they want. There are jobs in Port of Spain so I am not accepting that you stole because you are hungry," Eleventh Court Magistrate Cheron Raphael told Marvin Murray, before she sentenced him to 60 days in prison.

Murray pleaded guilty to robbing the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, Maria Joseph, last Wednesday.

When asked by Raphael why he committed the robbery, he said, “I was hungry and I had a lapse in judgement.”

But, Raphael, who acknowledged Murray’s clean criminal record, said he had to receive a prison sentence since his excuse did not justify his actions.

The maximum jail sentence for the offence is ten years and Raphael said she took into consideration Murray’s guilty plea and the fact that the cellphone was returned to Joseph.

"That is the only reason you got 60 days or you could have gotten more," Raphael said.

Joseph was seated in a car that was parked along Duke Street, near to the ministry's office, when Murray snatched the cellphone from her hand as he was walking on the sidewalk.

Joseph got out of the car and followed Murray. She reported the incident to PCs Renaldo Dopwell and Learie Thomas, who were on foot patrol in the area.

The officers arrested Murray a short distance away.

Soon after, in the same court, another man claiming to have been hungry when he broke into a neighbour's house, pleaded guilty.

Jevon Raphael, of Sunshine Avenue, San Juan, was sentenced by Raphael to 12 months' hard labour.

Raphael said he committed the offence because he was “broke and hungry” and saw the door to his neighbour’s house open.

He claimed that on February 5, he was walking near to his neighbour's home when he noticed that door was ajar. He entered the house and stole a laptop and camera, valued at $6,500.

“I was broke and hungry and I see the door was open.”

Raphael, who has five previous convictions for similar offences, could offer no reason why he should not be sent to jail.

"I really can't tell you why to not send me to jail.”

He was ordered to serve 12 months’ hard labour.