Last week in the Courts
November 06, 2006
'I stole from my boss because he doesn't pay me enough'
SENIOR Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey last week sent a stern message to all employees hauled before the courts for stealing from their employers, that poverty would not be accepted as an excuse for their actions.
Pusey gave the warning as she sentenced a man, Kavon Clarke, in the Half Way Tree Resident Magistrate's Court, after he pleaded guilty to pocketing monies for food he delivered to customers on behalf of the restaurant for which he worked.
Clarke also pleaded guilty to covering up the thefts by ripping from the restaurant log the receipts accounting for his deliveries.
Clarke's excuse was that he had been overworked and underpaid in the eight months he has worked at the restaurant and he needed the money to supplement his small pay. "I have to cut up meat, cook food, take orders, make deliveries. I'm supposed to leave work at 4:00 pm but I don't leave till later. Then sometimes I have to charter a taxi to reach home and I don't have the money," he said.
Judge Pusey, however, was not impressed by Clarke's statement.
"You cannot justify stealing people's money. If you are in a job that does not pay you, leave it and move on," she declared. "I don't earn enough but I cannot go over to the police station and steal some of the fines," she added.
Pusey then sentenced Clarke to 200 hours of community service for the offences, 100 hours for each offence. However, in handing down the sentence the judge noticed a sheepish grin on Clarke's face....
Author: Observer Reporters
Source: Jamaica Observer
