The Albouystown, Georgetown man who claimed that he was drunk when he broke into an apartment and stole laptops and other items, was sentenced to eight months in prison on Monda
Jailed: Christopher Gonsalves
y when he made an appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Earlier this month, Christopher Gonsalves, 30, of Independence Boulevard, Albouystown, Georgetown, was brought before Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus on a charge of break and enter and larceny.
The charge, to which he admitted guilt, stated that on January 21, at Camp Street, Georgetown, he broke into an apartment, and stole a haversack, two laptops, a Nigerian passport, personal documents, a cell phone, several flash drives, a bag, and other personal items.
During a sentencing hearing on Monday, Gonsalves begged the court for mercy, stating that he had already returned the stolen items.
The Police prosecutor, however, described Gonsalves as a “menace to society” and said that he needed to be punished for what he did while adding that the convict needs to be exposed to programmes to aid with his rehabilitation.
The court heard from the prosecutor that the virtual complainants secured their home and went to sleep at around 00:30h on the day in question. However, at around 03:30h, the man was awakened by his girlfriend who told him that someone was inside their apartment. The couple made checks around their home and discovered that the items listed in the charge were missing.
The incident was reported to the Police and an investigation was launched. In brief remarks, Gonsalves told the court that he was under the influence when he broke into the home and that he is not aware that he took the items. He told the Magistrate that he entered the apartment through an open door.
But one of the complainants, who was present in court, said that this could not be the case, since he locked the door himself before retiring to bed. Gonsalves was previously charged, convicted, and sentenced to imprisonment for offering a Policeman a bribe and trafficking narcotics.
Guyana Times understands that he offered the Police rank a bribe to forgo charges against him after he was busted with a quantity of narcotics. He was only released from prison last year June.
