Man sentenced for break-ins

A man who’s new to southern Alberta may be wishing he hadn’t moved here.

“He’s had a rough time down here,” Lethbridge lawyer Vincent Guinan said Thursday in Lethbridge provincial court, where his client was sent to jail for breaking into a garage and home several months ago.

Alan Lee Clifford pleaded guilty to two counts of housebreaking and one count of failing to appear in court, for which he was sentenced to eight months in jail.

Court was told Clifford broke into a garage in Coaldale last December and stole a wood furnace. The garage, Crown prosecutor Lisa Weich explained, belonged to the owner of the home where Clifford had been living until he was evicted.

Clifford, 37, also broke into a Lethbridge home last February but left after he realized the owner was in the home. Police caught him shortly afterward in a truck, from which they seized a stolen jack hammer, passport and some change. They also found some ammunition and drugs.

Guinan said his client’s story is a sad one. He said Clifford began abusing substances following a broken relationship, and he will likely lose his roofing job while he’s in jail. He is also struggling with child custody issues, but hopes to “focus on being a good father” after he’s released from jail.

Following his release, Clifford will be on probation for 12 months, during which he must take counselling for substance abuse and whatever is ordered by his probation officer. He must also submit a sample of DNA for the National DNA Databank.