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Thief with two convictions gets one year in jail
Kaieteur News – A 35-year-old man was sentenced to one year in prison on Friday after he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to charges of simple larceny and damage to property.
Rakesh Arjune
The defendant Rakesh Arjune, who has no fixed address, was accused of stealing a water pump valued at $19,000 and damaging a CCTV camera worth $15,000 from Merundoi Incorporated, a non-governmental organization (NGO) located at Lot 109 E Barrack Street, Georgetown, on September 3, 2024.
This was not Arjune’s first offense; he had previously stolen from the same organization twice, receiving community service for his first offense in 2023 and spending three weeks in prison for another count in February 2024.
Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty read the charges to Arjune, who admitted his guilt, stating, “I steal it, yeah…”
According to police statements presented in court, a representative from the organization, Margaret Lawrence, Executive Director of Merundoi Incorporated, made several reports against Arjune, who had taken up residence in an abandoned house next door.
On September 3, around 02:30 hrs, Arjune allegedly entered the compound by jumping the side fence, then he cut the wire on the CCTV camera, and stole the water pump. After the incident was reported, police arrested Arjune, who claimed that while the item was retrieved, it had already been sold for $5,000.
During the proceedings, Lawrence expressed her fears regarding Arjune’s repeated offenses, saying, “We (staff and myself) have been traumatized by him. He jumped the fence, came into our yard, and stole three water pumps and two solar lights. We have him on camera… we cannot continue with this.”
Prosecutor Seon Williams reminded the court of Arjune’s previous offenses at the same location. Despite Ajune’s plead for a lesser penalty, stating, “I want community service, ma’am,” Magistrate McGusty responded, “You are a poor, misguided gentleman that does not know better.”
Arjune was sentenced to six months in prison for each charge. The magistrate warned him that if he continued to commit the crimes upon his release, he would face further sentencing upon returning to her court.
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