At 62 years old, Patrick Bruce DaSilvia has 94 convictions to his name, the latest two of which were added during his appearance in a Bridgetown Court on Wednesday.
He admitted to stealing eight dive computers valued at $2 700, a rash guard worth $160, three shirts valued at $144, and a $70 hat belonging to Blue Water Sports Shop, on June 18. He also confessed to stealing $30 belonging to Alex Holder between July 4 and 5.
Additionally, DaSilvia, who has no fixed place of abode, was not required to enter pleas on three fraud charges stemming from offences that allegedly occurred on July 21. These include that: with intent to defraud CIBC Caribbean Bank, he forged a certain bill of exchange purporting to be a FirstCaribbean International cheque payable for $1 800 and drawn on the account of Alexander F.S. Mackenzie, and that he endeavoured to obtain from CIBC $1 800, by virtue of that same forged cheque, knowing the same to be forged.
Court prosecutor Station Sergeant St Clair Phillips told the court that Holder was sleeping in a chair on the beach with his haversack next to him, and around 3 a.m., when he awoke, he realised that the bag was missing. Later that morning, he saw DaSilvia with the bag. The accused dropped it and ran. When the complainant checked, the money was missing.
On June 18, the owner of the surf shop secured the building and left. Upon returning, he found the items missing, and a check of the security cameras revealed that DaSilvia had removed the items around 1:20 a.m.
“I didn’t take no computers, but I went in de people shop, so I gine plead guilty to all,” DaSilvia told the District ‘A’ Traffic Court.
The confessed cocaine addict told the court that he spent several years clean before relapsing.
“I could do better than this. I don’t have any excuses in taking cocaine, but when that urge hit ya, ya brain don’t work too good. It does be on automatic pilot,” he stated.
The prosecutor objected to bail, pointing out that the chances of DaSilvia reoffending were high.
Magistrate Alison Burke sentenced him to six months at Dodds Prison for the surf shop theft, but convicted, reprimanded and discharged him for stealing from Holder.
He will return to court on November 21 regarding the indictable matters.
The post 62-year-old with 94 convictions jailed for theft appeared first on Barbados Today.
