£400 fine for man who stole alcohol from Co-Op

Tuesday 27 June 2017

A 37-year-old man who stole four bottles of vodka and one of sambuca from two different Co-Op Locale Shops over the course of five days has received a £400 fine in Magistrate's Court.

Roberto Florentino Bonifacio de Freitas was also fined £200 for urinating on a public road.

The 37-year-old man stole four bottles of Smirnoff Red Label Vodka and a bottle of sambuca for a total of £100.95 from the Co-Op Locale shops in King Street and La Colomberie between 20 and 25 April. He told the Court that it was close to his birthday and that he didn't have any money. He added: "I know it was a mistake, that's why I gave my passport to one of the managers and said I was going to pay."

His advocate, Niall McDonald, said that the drinking spree occurred between jobs after De Freitas, who worked on a fishing boat, found himself out of job following a breakdown on the boat. Advocate McDonald also said that De Freitas had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. 

When asked by Magistrate Peter Harris what had happened between the 20 and 25 April, De Freitas explained it was because of alcohol. "I started drinking very young. I want to stop it's taken me to a place where I don’t want to be." 

Magistrate Harris replied: "You are not a child anymore, there is a lot of offending in just a few days, and nothing after that. If you think you need help, there is help available." 

As De Freitas's only previous conviction was for drinking and driving; the Magistrate fined him £100 in respect of each of the four shops he stole from. He requested for the first payment to be made within seven days and warned De Freitas that he would be sent to prison for three days in each case if he failed to pay.

In regards to the urinating offence, Magistrate Harris noted that De Freitas "had so much to drink he couldn't control himself" and handed a £200 fine.

Before releasing De Freitas, the Magistrate gave him a word of advice, "Please, if you need help ask for it. If you find yourself back here for a drinking related offence, we will be looking at it differently."