The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A REPEAT offender who claimed he went on a stealing spree to support his two children and unborn baby was yesterday sentenced to six years behind bars.

After spending 18 months on remand for stealing in 2019, Durant Dean found himself back before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle Davis charged with a number of theft charges.

Police said Dean committed sacrilege when he stole two hurricane impact windows from Believers Faith Outreach Ministries on June 20.

The court was told that around 7.35am that morning, a security officer at the church observed Dean, who did not appear to be a member of the worship centre, trying to put the windows in his car. The prosecution said the security officer then took a photo of the accused before restraining him until police arrived. The pastor of the church also gave police a statement indicating that he had never given anyone permission to enter or remove anything from the church’s premises.

Dean was further charged with stealing a 50-pound gas tank from Jasmine Collie’s residence on May 22.

The court was told that when the woman realised her $200 tank was missing, she gave a statement to the officer and requested police action.

The prosecution said a man also reported that his $400 water pump had been stolen sometime between May 21 and 22. Police said $150 worth of damage was also inflicted to the pump at the time the crime was committed. After the complainant provided police video footage of the incident, Dean was arrested. When he was questioned in custody, he admitted to all of the offences and said he had sold Ms Collie’s gas tank to someone in the Haitian Village.

During the hearing, Dean told the magistrate he was unemployed and “things were rough”. He also said he had twin girls and a seven-month pregnant “baby mother” and insisted he was “trying to make ends meet”, but when his children told him they were hungry, he became desperate.

In response, Magistrate Rolle Davis said while he considered Dean’s early guilty pleas, he was recently convicted of stealing and returned to court “within a year on the very same charges”. He said the court was of the view that Dean had no regard for other people’s property and was only remorseful because he was caught.

As a result, he sentenced the accused to five years for sacrilege, another year for stealing and damaging the man’s water pump, and three months for stealing Ms Collie’s gas tank.

In total, Dean will spend six years and three months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.