This morning in Magistrate’s Court, 44-year old Ernest Smith pleaded guilty to breaking into the Wok Express restaurant in Southampton in between Monday September 13 and Tuesday September 14 and stealing a variety of goods there, with an estimated total value of over $3000.
According to Maria Sofianos, for the Crown, Mr. Smith turned himself in at the Hamilton Police Station on Thursday, October 1, a day after the Bermuda Police Service issued a Look Out to Be Arrested regarding the incident. He admitted to the burglary to police, but denied stealing the amount in question.
He also cited that he broke into the restaurant and stole the items in question to sell them to get money for crack and asked the police to help him with his drug addiction.
Taking everything into consideration, the Worshipful Senior Magistrate Juan Wolffe adjourned the case to Friday October 22 for sentencing.
KNIGHTS ADMITS TO TWO BURGLARIES
In another matter this morning in Magistrate’s Court, 37-year-old Kim Knights pleaded guilty to two separate counts of burglary. He also pleaded guilty to breaching curfew on Saturday, October 2.
According to Maria Sofianos, for the Crown, on October 2, police officers found Mr. Knights in the basement of the Shopping Center in Pembroke putting stolen items, with an estimated total value of over $364, into a large trash bag. According to police, there was another trash bag full of stolen items in close proximity to the defendant. All items in both bags were seized by the police. He was taken to Hamilton police station shortly after being caught and later admitted to the offence while being interviewed.
Mr. Knights also pleaded guilty to breaking into and stealing a bag of chips and a pack of cookies from Four Star Pizza on Angle Street in Pembroke on June 13, 2019.
According to Ms. Sofianos, Mr. Knights, currently of no fixed abode, has several previous convictions of a similar nature which date back to 2010.
Mr. Knights then apologized to the Court for his actions and said that taking the groceries on Saturday was a bad decision and a result of him “trying to hide.”
Taking everything into consideration, the Worshipful Senior Magistrate Juan Wolffe ordered that a Social Inquiry Report and a BARC assessment be conducted for Mr. Knights. He then released Mr. Knights on $2000 bale with a like surety and ordered that he follow a daily curfew from 9 pm to 6 am.
Magistrate Wolffe then adjourned the case to Monday, November 22 for sentencing.
Stories by TNN’s Stefano Ausenda
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