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Kevon Williams, at age 19, has a history of crime and will spend the next six years in jail.
Kevon Williams, at age 19, has a history of crime and will spend the next six years in jail.
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A 19-year-old man who burglarised two government offices and two businesses in Kingstown will spend the next six years in jail.

Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett handed down the sentence on Kevon Williams, 19, of Kingstown, originally of Richland Park, on Thursday at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court.

He will serve a four-year jail term for burglarising the Ministerial Building. When that sentence is complete, he will serve a two-year sentence for breaking into two businesses in the city.

“By the time you are out, you should be changed, I hope,” the magistrate told the man, who has a history of crime.

Williams told the court he was guilty of a charge that between Aug. 17 and 20, 2018, at Kingstown, he entered the office of the Service Commissions Department as a trespasser and stole one black Canon EOS 800D digital camera, value US$1,800 and one red fire extinguisher, value EC$300, the property of the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

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The man further said that he was guilty of a charge that between the same period at Kingstown, he entered the office of the Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment as a trespasser and stole: three HP laptop computers, value, US$1,800, two black Lenovo laptops computers, value US$700, one Dell laptop battery, value US$40, one blue and grey transformer, value EC$200, one white Acer tablet, value EC$700, six headphones, value EC$330, one presentation pointer, value EC$80 — total value US$3,240 and EC$1,310, the property of the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

He pleaded guilty to stealing four pairs of Dockers slippers, value EC$330, one 3TB hard drive value EC$500, one Calvin Klein perfume, EC$207, total value, the property of one Telesford of Redemption Sharpes.

The charge was that he also removed one cosmetic purse, value $25, the property of Sonia Thomas of Hopewell; one cosmetic purse, value EC$10, the property of Dennique Joseph of Glen, one pair of black and white Adidas shoes, value EC$150 and two t-shirts value EC$150, total value EC$300, the property of Heidi Dopwell of Queen’s Drive.

Williams further pleaded guilty to a charge that on Aug. 20 at Kingstown, he entered the Vinsure Building as a trespasser and stole a quantity of food items, value EC$30, the Property of Samuel Goodluck of Cane Garden.

He also entered a guilty plea to a charge that on Aug. 20, at Kingstown, he entered the Rainbow Palace Restaurant as a trespasser with intent to commit an offence, to wit theft.

The court heard that on Aug. 17, Cuthbert Knights, permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, located on the second floor of the Ministerial Building, and Claude Barker, an officer attendant at the Service Commissions Department, located on the top floor, secured their various offices and left the building at 5:50 p.m.

On Aug. 20, about 6:40 a.m. Barker returned to the Building and opened the Service Commissions Department and noticed that the office seemed to have been ransacked.

He informed the police, who found that the building had been entered through a kitchen door on the eastern side.

The other departments in the building were informed and the items for which Williams would be charged were found to have been missing.

The police were called in and they reviewed the building’s CCTV footage which showed Williams entering the building

Prosecutor, Constable Corlene Samuel told the court that the Republic of China is doing some work in the building and the items for which Williams was charged belongs to them.

Last Monday, Aug. 20, Williams was seen at Paul’s Avenue and was told of the report against him.

He was cautioned and he admitted to the offences.

But before police would arrest Williams that day, he would come face to face with an armed business owner whose enterprise he had burglarised.

In relation to the burglary of Rainbow Palace, the court heard that Carl Browne is the owner and manager of the restaurant, which is located on Grenville Street, Kingstown.

About 8:15 p.m. on Monday, Browne received information that someone was breaking into the business, which is located near to Vinsure, an insurance company.

The businessman informed the police then went to the business place around 8:30 p.m., where he met the defendant, who attacked him.

As a result, Browne used his licensed firearm and shot Williams in his right thigh.

Browne made checks around the business place and found that nothing was missing.

The owner of Vinsure was informed about the development and when he checked, he found that the food items were missing.

The police found a metal pole with a concrete slab at the end and a crowbar at the Vinsure Building.

However, by the time the police met Williams in Paul’s Avenue that same day, someone had already assisted him in removing the bullet from his leg.

“So, he has a doctor in Paul’s Lot,” the prosecutor said.

When asked what he had to say for himself, Williams, who only has a primary school education, asked for leniency.

“Alright, that I will do. Anything else?” the magistrate asked.

Williams did not answer when the court asked him what caused him to commit the crimes.

He further said that he did not know what he had done with the stolen items.

“You don’t want to call the person’s name who has them. I understand,” the magistrate said.

“It is only one place you are going. It is only a matter of how long — and it will be longer than the periods you served before,” the magistrate said.

He sentenced him to four years for each of the burglaries at the Ministerial Building, with each sentence running concurrently.

When that sentence is finished, Williams will serve an additional two-year sentence, as the two two-year sentences for burglarising each of the business places will also run concurrently.

“So, in short, you will spend six years in jail,” the magistrate said, as he expressed hope that the incarceration would help to reform Williams.

5 replies on “Man jailed for burglarising gov’t office, businesses”

  1. When the Magistrate asked him why he did it and the thief implied he did not know; we all know why he did it. He did it to sell to his man in Paul’s Lot in order to get some cash. The “Education revolution” has failed the young man and so has the SVG Economy. After reading this comment we can expect all the Government Supporters to come up with other excuses, such as that the young man’s heart is bad or it is his parent’s fault or something else. Anything but admit that joblessness has anything to do with it.

  2. Life has to be really tough in St. Vincent. So many young people just getting caught up in the life of crime. I sincerely hope that this young man can change his life around after his incarceration.

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