Father Admits Stealing $60 Worth Of Meat
In Magistrates Court yesterday [Oct 18], a 39-year-old father pleaded guilty to stealing meat packages valued at almost $60 from the supermarket in Paget, telling the Court he only had $10 and his children needed food.
Senior Magistrate Archie Warner was told that the defendant — who was accompanied by his two children who are both under 16 years old — was captured on the store’s CCTV system in August 2012 as he put the items in his pants pocket and then exited the store without paying for them.
Shop managers reviewed the tapes and confirmed this, and when he came back to the store shop staff called the Police and the defendant was arrested. During the police interview he admitted the theft and offered restitution.
Responding to the Magistrate, he said: “My children are not involved. They were hungry. I only had $10. I picked up meats and put them in my pants pocket. I just started work. I haven’t worked in two years. My children needed food for their lunch for the next day.”
The Senior Magistrate asked: “Your children were hungry?” The defendant replied: “I had no food in the house. I was tired of going around asking people for things.”
The Senior Magistrate told him: “There is no was that you can be justified in taking things because your children are hungry. There are lots of helping agencies.”
The defendant explained that he was married and that he lived with his wife and two children. He also said that he had just gotten a job and had begun work on Monday gone. He reiterated that he only had $10 and that his children were hungry.
Magistrate Warner ordered a Social Inquiry Report and also ordered that the defendant should return on 30th November for sentencing. The Magistrate explained that the report would examine the defendants circumstances and would indicate what help he needed and that this would help in ultimately determining sentence. He was granted bail of $500.
- There was no legal ruling prohibiting identification however upon request [with the stated aim to not identify the children which naming the father indirectly does] Bernews has not named the defendant.
Update: Apologies for the lack of clarity above. When we said the defendant was “accompanied by his two children who are both under 16 years old” we meant when he was stealing the meat he had his children with him. They were not present in Court.
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This guy doesn’t know it’s a bunch of free fish in the water?
The Royal Gazzette can learn a real lesson from this article and Bernews let me be the first to say that you have really shown intergrity and responsibility on behalf of an individual who has done wrong and made a mistake,if the circumstances be true and he is honest in what he said then I think we will see more cases like this because people are desperate and not all the times you go to get financial help from agencies are you able to recieve,not even food vouchers.
Charitable organizations and social assistance are stretch to the limit and many of these same organizations that had the privelage of having private and public funding has seen funding cut,this mans identity being revealed would only put him at risk of having his name put on the quote on quote stop list for travel and then he is on it for life with and what does that tell you and if some folk dont bellieve that this is fact,just ask hundreds of Bermudians that have been put on for things that are considered mister meaners,such as a man who stole a bike when he was in his teens and now pushing 70 and still on the stop list.
Again everyone deserves a chance just as everyone deserves a roof over their head and food to eat,the old timers say if you want something then work for it but what do you do when there is no work and who wants to keep running for hand outs that most times should be hands pulling you up,I in no way write to condone stealing but every now and then something cathes your attention and I cant help but say but for the grace of God there go I,put yourself in your brothers shoes and tell me if you are able to walk.
“mister meaners” = misdemeanors ?? that gave me a chuckle.
Some people really are special!
hahahaha… I more than chuckled! lol
Duane, I know you mean well, but this is hilarious! LOL (mister meaners)
Duane’s good for a laugh a day.
Could have been Miss De Meaner’s too.
During tough times meat might just be a luxury. Might be better to look for foods that offer good nutrition for good pricing. Education in schools might help children assist parents when shopping for foods.
Schools DO EDUCATE when it comes to healthy eating but PARENTS still send in lots of junk that cost a lots of money.
I hope the defendant is totally exonerated, shame on the grocery store for not trying to work with him! how much goods get wasted every day..where is the support for this young married man who was at the end of his rope..this is mass emaciation to have a system that has never changed over the years and shows no hope of changing because people are afraid to defend whats right..those Uighers don’t have to steal!
Are you serious? It is not like he went to the clerk and said hey I only have $10 but my kids need to eat do you mind if I work out a payment plan as I just started a new job. He stole the goods; his decision and he should be punished as it is against the law.
He could have gotten like 6 pieces of pork for $10 and that would have fed his children the following day. I am worried that people think stealing is justified just because economic times are harsh. Incredible.
Where can you go to in Bermuda and ask a “clerk” to work out a payment plan? If anything he could have asked some stores that serve food buffet style if he could have the food they would throw away at the end of the night but I don’t know many places that would work out some sort of payment plan. Maybe I’m wrong.
Also pork is very, very bad for you and hard to digest in the body. He could have got a box/bag of rice and frozen vegetables for $10.
Bear with me a second here and check this out. Rock/stick = $0… Feral chicken = $0… Unconcious feral chicken and happy smiling children along with the aquired skill of knocking out feral chickens with a rock/stick = priceless. Fennal is also very nutricious and makes a good seasoning along with various other natural greens around the island. We have hundreds of thousands of muscles along the north shore. In my opinion this man should be sentenced to back to back marathons of survivor man and man vs wild.
You done now with your failed comedy? Just hope that you are never faced with any hardships in life, especially financial. Not a hint of compassion or empathy in someone is a very scary thing. It’s people like you that laugh now and cry later. Enjoy it now.
I’m facing financial hardships as we speak, suck on that. Have I stolen yet? Na! Laugh now cry later is tattooed across my stomach as a constant reminder to what I’ve been through, so lighten the f@ck up.
@comecorrect—-have you ever been in a situation of poverty, not just yourself but other mouths to feed?think not..and why don’t you offer some reasonable survival skills specific for Bermuda, mosr people have never ever been in this predicament of desparation and poverty before and it is hard to adjust to something you are not accustomed to..Some assisstance would help,what about a fund..I recall when a trashtruck driver slapped a teenager for saying something he didn’t like an there was an outpouring of support for him, even a fund raiser..We are a pretty warped group if we cannot see beyond the politics of this situation which mimics a lot of places that we have actually sent money abroad and raised other items to assist poverty stricken and other disaters..this again is something new for Bermuda to be in this debt situation and the amount of people that find themselves without work..why don’t we put on our thinking caps!!
I don’t have children because I’m not married yet and don’t feel financially stable enough to bring another life into this world yet, pretty well thought out intelligent decisions if you ask me. I did give reasonable survival info, I’d kill a feral chicken before I stole thanks, and if I ever did find myself in a situation like that I’d go build a palm tree hut and live with the bredren in the trees on south shore. You people are the ones that make me sick depending on companies to provide you with everything you need nd when you can’t afford it you don’t know how to do jack for yourself. Don’t watch me, ima be alright.
You know it’s all well & good to make suggestions out of the moment. When you’re in the middle of a situation, you can’t see a way out. Ask anyone in a bad relationship, they know they need to get out but can’t see a way. In the meantime, everyone around them makes all sorts of suggestions without understanding the whole picture – at least not from the perspective of those involved.
By reading a lot of the insensitive comments that were made , I can understand why this man had no option but to steal, imagine coming up against this lot and asking for help, I hope you will never have yourself in his situation, I just hope !
That’s the issue, he didn’t ask for help, he just stole. Maybe if he had exhausted every resource available before stealing there would be a little more sympathy, but he didn’t. He couldn’t afford the food so in his mind the only other option was to steal. If he really needed to feed his kids, raman noodles cost 65cents a pack, end of story.
I think so too……they couldve talked to him rather persecute him…….it was a sad situation and is a sad situation……my heart goes out to the father and the family
Theft is theft.
Easy for you to say until it happens to you. There are a lot of very desperate people out there, and when children are involved you don’t know how desperate a parent can become. I’m not condoning it but I can understand the desperation.
What a great example he sets for his children. Hungry? Just steal what you want.
Lets face it, $60 worth of meat was well beyond what he might need to feed his family.
I agree with ‘swinging’. It’s not right what he did but he meant to harm and was in need of food. He pointed out that he has asked for help and food many times. Unlike other countries there aren’t much bargain grocers or less expensive shop options for those of a lower income. It’s just high price across the board. The grocery store could have pointed out the matter but also offered help. Now he has to come up with 500 more dollars and face a possible sentencing. We have seen many cases like this this year so it’s obviously due to hard times. There is a serious lack of compassion today. But hopefully the social inquiry report will allow consideration.
no harm*
$60 is a lot of meat and he could have found something much cheaper and healthier to feed himself and his kids if he was going to steal it. While he could have also gone to many helping agencies to get a hot meal if he was that desperate I still applaud you Bernews for not naming this man.
Yes Stealing is wrong but really this man was stealing for his children groceries are too expensive BERMUDA help your own people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a surprise give-a-way 1000th customer gets 60 seconds to pick up whatever they can. I’m just saying.
The he is granted $500 bail well newsflash he couldn’t even afford $60
“Have a surprise give-a-way 1000th customer gets 60 seconds to pick up whatever they can. ”
Great idea! How about YOU pay for it!
Hahaha for real I’ve had my eye on this $100+ beef tenderloin down lindos, 60 seconds is enough time for me to empty the meat section lol might even get a whole wahoo or tuna if I have time to spare.
“as he had put the items in his pants pocket and then exited the store without paying for them”
Either he has some giant pockets or that was some expensive meat!
I can’t believe the number of people supporting this idiots theft of $60 worth of meat.
If you’re out of work and need food here’s a tip; take a shower, shave, trim your nails, put on some decent clothes, comb your hair, put a smile on your face and GO PACK GROCERIES.
It won’t make you rich but the hours are flexible and with the right attitude you’ll make more than enough to feed your family.
But no. The attitude seems to be, I’m hungry, I’ll just take what I need. And he had $10 in his pocket. Does he not know how to boil rice or make pasta? Talk about a sense of entitlement.
Then, when he’s caught he drags his two kids into court with him seeking sympathy. What a pathetic excuse for a father.
You obviously have never packed groceries, not just anybody can go and stand at the end of the counter! FYI there is a long list waiting even in that job category now!!!why don’t you check out the last statistics, and see how you can contribute to changing the FACT that black men in Bermuda have always been at the bottom of the ecnomic rung!!!BY DESIGN!!if we have empathy for total strangers what about our own?
@Family Man….sorry that’s our error. Rereading the story after your comment, we noted we were not very clear on that point. So thanks to your comment we added a clarification…we meant when he was stealing the meat he had his two children with him, they were not present in Court.
lol, ok but I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse. He stole multiple packages of meat in front of his two kids. He’s got the makings of a real “Artful Dodger” – without the success of course.
I will feed the children……
Its too much of these grow a** men lacking in all areas. What have you been doing in the last 20+ years while employed…do you own a house, car, have savings (guest not) or pay rent. You did not think or plan ahead for the children’s well being.
What’s next father of two, I would guess you will find money for your needs. Sad
Don’t judge someone’s choices without first knowing their reason.
You should never kick someone when they are down because you never know when it will be your turn…life is something….remember the sun does not shine on the same spot forever! I just hope the same gentleman offers his hand when it is you who is struggling.
Shame on you Jai!
I’m glad to see Bernews had some compassion in not naming the man. Children can be quite cruel at times and I can just imagine the teasing his kids may have received at school. I don’t advocate stealing, but I do have a little sympathy as this man was stealing to feed his family. It’s not as if he was stealing packages of hair or a luxury item, it was food. Having said that, I hope that this man has learned his lesson and goes about obtaining food via the proper channels next time. Some stores, the Market Place in particular, have ZERO tolerance for stealing from their stores. I’m not sure how to go about it, but I know the Eliza Dolittle Society collects unused food from various establishments at the end of business day. Perhaps they could make some sort of public service announcement on how one could make use of their services….
I do not condone stealing, and stealing in front of one’s children is setting a very bad example.
On the other hand, as I just learned, once you are receiving Financial Assistance, if you get groceries from some of the charities, they are required to report it to Financial Assistance, who will then cut your benefits to reflect that you are getting “free” food.
Bernews: good on you for not reporting this man’s name. I am sad for him, since he has probably lost that new job because of his actions.
In my sadness though, I recognize that some people,not necessarily this man, have a strange sense of entitlement.
A case in point – I overheard a conversation recently where a young man tried to return an item at a grocery store, but didn’t have his receipt. Because the store couldn’t take the item back without the receipt (after all, how are they to know he didn’t previously steal it so that he could get cash?), he chose to go to the back of the store and steal two packages of codfish, because he “was vexed.” He related this story as if he were perfectly justified for his actions. What a skewed set of values we have fostered in our population!
Reap What You Sow? It Always Comes Back To you…It’s a Generational Epidemic.
Saudi Arabi has that problem solved, though I don’t think it would be appropriate for this man, its not his fault his governement is standing strong for him. One part of me feels for him the other part says $10 buys 8 packs of flavoured raman noodles. As for the other idiot, cut his hand off so next time he feels he can justify stealing he can look at his stump for a reminder of his ignorance.
$60.00 worth of meat for 2 children? And because he got away the first time, he came back for more or to pay his debt? LOL!! Dumb azz for being greedy….
All deez chickens runnin on de roads an yaboy steelin meat don? Guys are tired bye!
$60 really come on they could have let him off with a warning. If they can let go of shooters and rapist clearly this man could have been let off.
Sir whoever you may be I hope things get better for you because people are so quick to judge and say what they would and would not do, but I am sure that EVERYONE has done something the next person claims they would never do.
Times are hard and he did what he had to do at that time for his children.
Did he make bail? Where did the $500 come from?
We’re not in the US. You don’t have to actually put up the $500 bail. If he doesn’t show up at court, he pays the $500.
And then pleads poverty again I guess. Not very effective is it.
Yeah, let him off… it’s only stealing FFS… He was doing it for his kids who really need feeding up on steaks.
Wow… perhaps he might thought of stealing some bags of rice or pasta?
Frigging low life with only one brain cell functioning… what a tosser… chuck the book at him. He is just a petty thief – using his kids as an excuse to garner some sympathy.
He is a chronic low-life… These people (and their families) need to be relocated to where they came from… Jamaica!
They are the lowest of the low and Bermuda should not have to put up with their filthy habits and criminal mentalities.
Hold up!!!!!! What are YOU angry about???? Okay I’m not Jamaican I’m Bermudian but I feel highly offended that you would equate such behavior with someone’s nationality!!!! In every country there are people who steal for a variety of reasons. No, I do not condone his actions, but the name calling & vile words of hatred are uncalled for. Remember” but by the grace of God” – in other words you could find yourself in similar circumstances. Life is funny that way.
Hey Connusard why don’t YOU go back to England where YOU came from!!! I can tell from your gutter limey slang “tosser” that you aren’t even Bermudian so you have nerve to talk about people relocating where they came from!!! How dare you make such a prejudiced remark against Jamaicans! This man was a Bermudian (are far as we know) so why are you dragging Jamaica into this? You are just showing your supreme ignorance. There are Jamaican criminals, Bermudian criminals and BRITISH criminals, just as there are good, law abiding citizens from these countries as well. Keep your nasty, racist comments to yourself please!!!
To be able to hide $60 of meat it must have been an expensive cut, maybe Kobe beef or something, but even then that would be tough! If he’d gone for the regular cheap steak, $10 would have covered it no problem!
Sir I too hope that things get better for you. Yes it is wrong to steal but sometimes desperation makes us do some crazy things. I don’t know your story so I will not call you any names or judge you as others have done. Times are hard I agree. I feel that yes you should receive a consequence but maybe it should have been more on the line of community service as opposed to a fine..I mean really $500 when you didn’t even have the money in the first place to pay for the groceries is a bit excessive. I don’t have much but if you were able to reach me I would give what I can…..I know that you are not looking for a “hand out” but a “hand up”……
*bail of $500 not fine….
If he was telling the truth that he did it because his children were hungry then I feel he should be let off with warning, BUT if this man is lying then yes he should be punished.
People are always so quick to judge someone but never judge someone until your clean up your own life and NO ONES life is perfect.
and income rates are up lmfao . but ppl have to steal food.. what a f@#$#@g joke.. baaahhhhh to plp get out and move away for good!!!!!!
to bad i couldnt get on top of this long list of dribble….i guess you just cant beat the lifeless blogger here at times….i jus hope that those of you that are chastising a person that has no money trying to feed children….is your ultimate destiny as well….he just got there before you ….now , either your extremely wealthy [rich], or you might say middleclass, got a little savings sure, and worked hard for it….but if you havent notice that the middleclass citizen is being eradicated…then you are either institutionally daft or very wealthy and is out of your peripheral vision. so for all of you who will need compassion in the not so far future oh yeah , they’re coming for what you’ve saved too….
I feel for this guy,,,I do believe that if a person stoops this low to steal food,they are desporate,on the other hand he returned thats greed,but the thing that comes more to mind is the helping agencies here in bermuda,,,,the financial assistence has a group of staff members that if i was in position i would replace most or probaly All
its sad to see how they treat people,not knowing that they are not just a paycheck away, but a matter of hours away from being in the same boat as the people they are sopose to be serving,,,but this is the new bermuda,,,if i have and you dont ,,i gonna look down on you !
@lifeinadaze—–Please read the above article correctly, the man did not return, one of the bloggers told a story about a man who returned tosteal after a store refused to take back goods that he said he bought there but didn’t have the receipt, he came back and stole codfish from them because he was vexes..if you weren’t living in a daze you would have read the article that said a father stole to get food for his children..gosh…
@ swinging fromchandoliers!!! Dear, YOU are the one that needs to read the article correctly. It clearly stated that staff reviewed the CCTV tapes, and when the man came BACK to the store the police were called and he was arrested. I interpreted this as he got away in the first instance, but he was recognized by staff (from the footage) when he returned on another occasion.
Greetings Bermuda,
Stealing is inexcusable!!!
Children being hungry is a VERY POOR EXCUSE, Especially since he had $10 in his pocket!!!!!
Could have gotten Ground Beef, Rolls etc.!!!!!!!
I’m sure if he got to the register and was $1or$2 short someone may have given him what he needed To Get Evetrything!!!!!!
I have done it and folks have helped me as well!!!!!
To teach children being hungry justifies stealing, is WRONG!!!!!!!!
To ask for a little change to allow for shortfall to purchase food in a grocery store is, Much Less Embarrassing than Being Arrested and Charged For Stealing!!!!!!
We are wondering why the Younger Generations are Exibiting the Disrespectful,Uncaring Behaviour We Are Seeing In Bermuda These Days, Well, Parents Making Bad Choices Such as This Example, MAY JUST BE THE REASON WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thoughts of a Son Of Bermuda!!!!!!!!!
Have a Blessed, Safe & Dry Weekend Bermuda!!!!!
$60 is a LOT for meat, let alone to fit in a pocket. School lunch? sounds like a extended family BBQ. Frozen veg, pasta, burger, could be bought for under $10 and fed his family of four. To those who don’t think $60 is a huge amount for dinner/lunch food… wait until you are “ancient” and living on savings. Food budgeting and choices are stretch it as far as can. Not stealing!
Oh perhaps the kids are teenage males … but they could be packers and be the few who say “thank you”.
I can certainly make a well-balanced meal for three people for under $10…and have leftovers…
It is clear to me that he is a good dad making bad choices. Let us be reminded that our children watch everything that we do.
i inderstand, i just did something so stipid, and was arrested i just wanted to do something nice for my children that i had been ignoring because of something i am going through. i just wanted to suprise them and got caught. as you know the road to hell is paved with good intentions. so dont judge someone till you walk in their shoes. life is hard. so hard.
Sheesh, I’d hate to try to run a grocery store in a poor country. How do they do it in countries like India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Sudan etc, where people are more than just hungry, they’re literally starving. They must feel justified in stealing everything in sight.
Or maybe its just Bermudians who feel its OK to steal steaks because you’re hungry and you only have $10 in your pocket. Have ethical standards slipped this low in the new Bermuda?
And what did he come back for, the veggies or dessert?