A Richland Park man who was caught red-handed stealing oranges from a farm in Congo Valley was fined for that crime and jailed for giving police a false name.
On March 13, about 4:30 p.m., lawyer Grant Connell, the owner of the farm, met Roneil Bobb on the farm with 150 oranges in a sack.
The man also had a car, PR613, which contained six empty sacks, parked on the farm.
Bobb told the court that he had rented the vehicle.
Connell summoned the police and they arrested Bobb, who offered the farmer EC$1,000 for the oranges to avoid a criminal charge, which the farmer refused.
Bobb appeared before magistrate Bertie Pompey at the Georgetown Magistrate’s court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of failure to produce a buyer’s certificate for 150 oranges.
The charge falls under the Agricultural Produce and Livestock (Prevention of Theft) Act, commonly referred to as the praedial larceny law.
Asked what he had to say for himself, Bobb, who is also a farmer, told the court, “I have nothing to say.”
“You’re from Richland Park. What were you doing in Congo Valley?” the magistrate asked the defendant, who replied, “I was in the company of a guy who works up here.”
Pompey noted that Bobb has pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and it was his first conviction.
“This is an agricultural community and everybody depends on it for their livelihood. If you have to steal, it would dissuade other farmers,” he noted.
“Farmers don’t steal from other farmers. You have to pay $1,200,” the magistrate told the produce thief.
Pompey ordered Bobb to pay a fine of EC$600 forthwith or six months in prison and a further EC$600 within a month or a further six months in prison.
Bobb paid the fine.
However, while he was able to avoid jail time for his crime against the farmer, he was not so lucky on the charge of giving police a false name.
When police asked Bobb what was his name, he told them he was Travis Davis.
They had allowed him station bail before realising that he had given them an incorrect name.
On March 15, the police rearrested Bobb and charged him with giving a false name to police.
Pompey sentenced him to one month in prison for the crime.
Addressing the court after the matter was disposed of, Connell said that he had gotten back the oranges.
“I don’t know why God placed this 2-legged rodent to destroy the farmer,” Connell said.
He further noted that when he met Bobb on the farm, the thief has a cutlass and had to be asked three times to put it down.
Connell said that if he had to ask Bobb a fourth time, the matter might have ended quite differently.
He told the court that other farmers had contacted him and said that the same car had raided their harms.
There is a common adage in Vincy lingo that goes like this ,”Do so not like so”. I think it means that one must not do on to others that they don’t like for themselves. I stand to be corrected. Is it not this the same Grant Connelly who have all kinds of excuse when criminal brake the law. He used words like , ” Your honour he is a vrgin to the law “. Why not the same applies when the guy stole his oranges? It’s the first time the guy was caught stealing his oranges and according to Mr Connel, the thief is a virgin to the law and should not be penalized.
That same car was seen in spring biabou, area know as dar-low, several times after six pm. And numerous complain about livestock and products disapearance.
Grant, you should have begged for leniency for him too, as you so often do with others. Feels different when you are the victim, doesn’t it?
Praedial larceny needs critical attention and it is only one thing. Equally important is the urgency to safeguard land and property against title theft, illegal transfers and dishonourable acquisitions.
Grant where is your mercy and compassion ?The orange thief is a virgin to the law.
Unfortunately, theft is a major issue in SVG. Based on the information in previous comments, the perpetrator seems to be an alleged repeat offender. The possession of a cutlass, in the case, reminds us how dangerous a thief could be. I appreciated the expediency with which the law handled this matter.
Above all what caught me the most in this hold fiasco…. Is the fact that he used the statement ” I don’t kno why God placed this 2 legged rodent to destroy the farmer” ….is he really blaming God.. Smh