Winston Phillips, a 32-year-old Venezuelan labourer who resides at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, appeared on Wednesday in the Georgetown court of Principal Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty on a simple larceny charge of theft of two generator batteries, valued at $120,000, from the compound of the Home Affairs Ministry on Sunday, November 3.
He pleaded guilty as charged, and was handed a nine-month prison sentence.
According to the case presented to the court, during a power outage, an employee of that Ministry discovered the batteries missing while attempting to start a generator located on the northern side of the compound, and an alarm was raised.
This immediately triggered an investigation that led to a review of CCTV footage, which showed Phillips entering the compound and removing the generator batteries before escaping through an eastern fence that was under construction at the time.
Authorities later apprehended Phillips, and he led police to the location where the stolen batteries were recovered.
Asked by Magistrate McGusty why he had taken the batteries, an apparently remorseful Phillips responded, “I don’t know how it happened, and I’m sorry.” (G9)
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