Man Pleads Guilty: Handling Stolen Goods
In Plea Court yesterday morning [Mar.12], 21-year-old Tristan Daniels of Hamilton Parish pleaded guilty to a charge of handling a Mac laptop computer that had been stolen during the course of an armed robbery involving American tourists last week in Southampton.
Despite arguing that he had no knowledge that the laptop had been stolen, Daniels was remanded into custody to be brought back to Plea Court for mention on 26th March 2012.
Presenting the facts, Crown Prosecutor Carrington Mahoney told Senior Magistrate Archie Warner that one of the items that had been stolen in the course of the armed robbery of U.S visitor Mrs Kendall Crolius and her two children on 8th March was a Mac laptop computer.
Mr Mahoney gave evidence that the family had been threatened with a gun, been made to lie down, and had been robbed of money, cell phones as well as the laptop.
The Mac computer had a tracking device in it. Using that tracking device, the Police were led to Mr Daniel’s barbershop. The next day, on 9th March, at Hamilton Parish Workmen’s Club, Police found Mr Daniels and the computer in Mr Daniel’s possession.
Mr Daniels said that he had been given the laptop by someone who had said that he wanted to download some software but did not know how. Daniels said that that person had asked him to download that software onto the laptop.
Police checked the laptop and saw that the serial number matched that of the one stolen during the course of the armed robbery the day before. Daniels was then arrested and later charged.
Daniels said that he was represented by lawyer Elizabeth Christopher, but because she was involved in a Supreme Court case, she was not present. In her absence, Duty Counsel Leopold Mills asked that even with the guilty plea, the matter should be adjourned.
Seeking the best outcome for Mr Daniels, Mr Mills said that Daniels was not aware that the laptop had been stolen and had been duped into handling it. Mr Mills also pointed out that Mr Daniels is participating in a training course and is a gifted sportsman who plays with a well-known local football team.
Mr Daniels, speaking for himself, said that he did not know that the laptop had been stolen and that he had it for less than 24 hours.
The Senior Magistrate said that the armed robbery was a really serious offence and that robbing tourists in the way that this family had been robbed meant that anything connected with that incident should be dealt with seriously.
Confirming that the matter was still under active investigation and that a firearm was said to have been used, the Magistrate then ordered that Daniels should return for Mention on 26th March and was to be remanded into custody until that appearance.
A police statement released after his appearance said, “Detectives from the Serious Crime Unit have been continuing their investigations into the robberies that occurred at a Southampton residence near The Reefs property and at Lolly’s Well Road, Smiths on Monday 5th March, 2012.
“On Friday 9th March, a 21 year old Hamilton Parish male was arrested in possession of some of the stolen property from the Southampton robbery. The Bermuda Police Service presented a case file to the Department of Public Prosecutions and a charge of handling stolen property was approved. The man appeared in Magistrates Court this morning as a result.
“Whilst some success has been made in making an arrest and recovering some of the property stolen, officers are still looking for any information that will assist them to bring these criminals to justice.
“The Bermuda Police Service has been in close contact with the victims of these crimes and officers are providing assistance and updates to them on a regular basis.
“Anyone that may have seen two males on a dark coloured motorcycle in the vicinity of South Road & Tribe Road #3 and Lolly’s Well Road / Harrington Sound Road, Smiths is urged to contact the Serious Crime Unit on 295-0011 or to call the confidential Crime Stoppers hotline on 800-8477.”
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Wow, we need to be very careful in choosing who we intend to be friends with. If this really true, there is only one thing to do. Tell the police who gave him the laptop.
very true, just needs to say who gave him the laptop
Exactly, that’s what I would do. Maybe he will only get a suspended sentence or no charge at all, if he turns in those two thugs, or at least one of them… seems like he has his own business and claims that he didn’t know the laptop was stolen… if he has good standing (before this case), I would give him another chance…
But… he might need some witness protection, you never know what could happen when it comes to idiots with guns…
This is true. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now. Maybe his name shouldn’t have been made public then again Bermuda is small & people talk.
Gives a new meaning to the ‘Barber Shop Quartet’.
This guy needs to fez up about who that laptop came from. The guys at the end of the chain no matter where it leads must be caught for Bermuda’s sake.
And if it wasn’t open source freeware, charge the little twerp for theft of copyright for downloading software.
While I cannot imagine the position he is in (if he truly was not directly or indirectly involved) as I was, not there. We however cannot ignore the magnitude of this crime. OK, no-one was killed, raped, etc. but damn; we need to come down hard on these crimes. This is the first break for the police and it dead ends at, “Handling Stolen Goods”, “I was asked to download software”.
The next break for the police should be the person who the lap-top was received from. Plain and simple; give up the name and clear yourself.
Gifted sportsman, well known local football team? Clear yourself and name the person who gave you the lap-top. It could very well be the person also was not involved and received the stolen goods.
For the police, the search goes on until the culprits are caught and you have been cleared. That or YOU take the fall for a seriuos crime.
What about taking finger prints off the laptop? Unless this guy handed him the laptop with gloves on, his prints will be on it.
So who done it ?? Does the BPS flip suspects ?? Hmmmm I would have been laying charges against barber boy let him convince the jury he was not directly involved in the robbery, or give up the real armed robbers.
Remember this was the case where the lady and her 2 children had a gun put to their heads(tourist at the Reef’s cottages)by these alleged assailants during the robbery,a brutal act not withstanding the robbery aspect.
This will be a very serious case, the world in watching, that should be enough for him to speak up,that is if he was not involved in the actual robbery, otherwise face the consequences.
The receiver is as bad as the thief! Barbershop owner or not…if he refuses to back up his story and name the person who gave him the laptop, then he should be punished accordingly.
Show No mercy for messing with that Mac !