3 years jail for vendor who stole shotgun from security guard

A 33-year-old vendor was on Wednesday sentenced to three years imprisonment after he confessed to stealing a loaded shotgun from a Sheriff Security Guard.

Mawali Clarke appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to the larceny charge.

It is alleged that on December 25, 2022, at Bel Air Avenue, Clarke stole a 12 gauge shotgun along with three cartridges worth $353,000 from Toussaint Williams.

The stolen items are the property of the Sheriff’s Security Service.

According to reports, Clarke and the victim are known to each other. It is alleged that on the day in question, Williams, while on duty at a property, saw Clarke vomiting and came to his aid.

Williams invited Clarke into the premises and helped him to get cleaned.

Williams went to a nearby pipe for water leaving his firearm behind during which Clarke stole the firearm and escaped.

The matter was reported to the Police and Clarke was later arrested. He then took the Police to an area at Plum Park, Sophia where the loaded firearm was recovered in a clump of bushes.

An unrepresented Clarke pleaded with the Chief Magistrate for leniency and admitted that he only took the firearm because Williams’ conduct was “unprofessional” and “careless.”

“I know it was something of value and I needed money at that point in time,” Clarke told the court.

The Chief Magistrate, after considering the seriousness of the crime and Clarke’s early plea, sentenced him to serve three years behind bars.

Clarke is no stranger to the law. In 2017, he was charged with two counts of knife-point robbery committed on two women.