The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement (FNM) Golden Isles candidate Vaughn Miller says he is not ruling out political mischief as the motive behind the overnight burglary and subsequent robbery and vandalising of the party's constituency office for the area. 

According to Mr Miller, those responsible for the early Friday crime "took everything", from a "stocked refrigerator, a stocked freezer, a new stove, a gas tank kept inside the building, DJ and surveillance equipment, and a new and unused generator. 

Mr Miller also said the culprits "made a mess on the inside". 

According to Mr Miller, the discovery was made by an FNM supporter named Marvin around 8am on Friday, who notified police and party officials. Mr Miller said the incident is likely to have occurred between 3.30 and 4.40am. 

Mr Miller said the culprits appeared to have entered the building through a single-hung window facing the road, which he said was not fortified by burglar bars. Based on the size of the window, Mr Miller surmised that either a child or a "small individual" was able to enter through that window. 

Considering the various acts of vandalism that have occurred recently throughout the capital regarding the posters of political candidates, as well as the FNM's Fort Charlotte constituency office being broken into last month, Mr Miller suggested this latest incident could be the result of political mischief. 

"I'll say this: the first day my billboards went up three of them were vandalised," Mr Miller told The Tribune. "Then we replaced them and then two were vandalised. Then we replaced them, so we have to go and check to see if the ones in Coral Harbour have been tampered with. And certainly we would not rule that out."

Nonetheless, Mr Miller said he and FNM officials would seek to take the necessary steps, adding the incident "has not broken our spirit".

"Matter of fact it's given us a greater resolve, a greater focus, it's given us a greater level of strength, energy, and we shall go forward with new vigour," he said. "And I would like to thank our enemies for doing this, because this has certainly taken our campaign to another level." 

In April, thieves stole a 37-inch and a 24-inch flat screen TV from the FNM's Fort Charlotte constituency office. They also removed three computers, five computer monitors and two cordless phones from the data room where they were located and dumped them in the kitchen. 

Important campaign data was not stolen or compromised, FNM Fort Charlotte candidate Mark Humes said at the time.