![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/annsvg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/farmer.png?fit=768%2C1024\")
Bobb was initially charged with theft under\nsection 209 of the Criminal Code which carries a maximum sentence of 6 months\nin prison. However, when he appeared in court, the prosecution sought an\namendment and proceeded under section 11 of the Agricultural Produce and\nLivestock (Prevention of Theft) Act 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Magistrate Pompey showed how he arrived at\nthe $1,200.00 fine, using the Sentencing guidelines of the Eastern Caribbean\nSupreme Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Magistrate said that the charge carries\na maximum sentence of 2 years in prison and\/or a fine of $10,000.00, noting that\nthe defendant could both be fined and confined to prison. He said that, under\nthe circumstances his decision was to start at 1 year and the number could\nincrease according any aggravating feature, or decrease according to mitigating\nfactors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Highlighting the mitigating factors,\nMagistrate Pompey said he gave Bobb credit for pleading guilty at the first\nopportunity. He also said that Bobb had no previous conviction and that the\noranges were returned to the owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the matter of the aggravating feature, Magistrate\nPompey said \u201cthe only aggravation\u201d was that the crime was committed in a\ncommunity where people rely mainly on farming for their livelihood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On hearing police say that Bobb was a\nfarmer, the Magistrate said: \u201cFarmers don\u2019t steal from farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Magistrate Pompey said that, with his starting point of a 1-year sentence, when 0ne-third of that sentence is deducted for the guilty pleas there not much prison time left, hence he though it better to impose the fine of $1,200.00. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was ordered to pay $600 forthwith or spend 6 months in prison <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bob was sentenced to one month in prison\nfor giving Police a wrong name when he was arrested. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fine was the only punitive measure\nimposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Connell, given an opportunity to comment,\nsaid the Act of theft \u201cis a waste of time to shackle two-foot rodents\u201d like\nBobb. He indicated that while he respected the decision of the court in\nsentencing, he noted that he had refused a settlement of $1,000. 00 proposed by\nthe confessed thief and the Magistrate imposed a fine of $1,200.00 on the said\nperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Connell told the court that since Bobb\u2019s\narrest, a number of farmers had contacted him complaining that the car Bobb was\ndriving PR613 was also identified as the vehicle suspected as being used to\ntransport their agricultural produce following raids on their farms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Connell said he refused to accept the money from the farmer when offered before he was arrested and charged because in his view that money was the proceed of crime, meaning that he believed that Bobb obtained that money as a result of stealing and selling farmers\u2019 produce to others. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There is a jungle out there and established and legitimate farmers are not prepared to accept any monkey-business from thieves or from traffickers or retail vendors who buy stolen agricultural produce. And, so it was that farmer Grant Connell, who is also a lawyer, refused payment of $1,000.00 from Richland Park resident Roneil Bobb who<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\n