Man who stole from donation box gets discharge

The latest donation to a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help a 19-year-old Grimsby woman undergo treatment at a U.S. hospital was made by Martin Crooks.

The 24-year-old donated $150 to the fund Tuesday, bringing the total to more than $156,000.

But his donation wasn’t necessarily altruistic in nature.

Crooks made the donation as an apology for stealing a donation box Sydney Gill’s father had placed in a Giant Tiger store.

“Stealing a can of money that’s going to go to someone that has a rare disease is terrible,” Judge Joseph De Filippis told the young man after he pleaded guilty Wednesday in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines to a charge of theft under $5,000.

Court heard the defendant had no previous dealings with the law and committed the crime due to an addiction to opioids.

“This illustrates the nature of the problem that exists in Niagara,” the judge said, noting the number of cases before the courts that are a combination of poverty, drug addiction and mental health issues is concerning.

On April 19, court was told, Crooks went into the store and concealed the donation box, labelled Sydney’s Hope. He bought a lottery ticket then left.

The box likely contained less than $50 at the time of the theft.

The Crown and a duty counsel lawyer offered a joint submission to the judge of a conditional discharge and probation for 12 months.

Assistant Crown attorney Robert Mahler told the judge “at first blush, this is a reprehensible act,” but added Crooks has taken steps to address his substance abuse issues, made a donation to the fund in excess of what he stole, and wrote a letter of apology to the Gill family.

The judge agreed to the joint submission of a conditional discharge, which means the Grimsby resident will not have a criminal offence registered against him if he complies with the conditions of his probation.

Sydney Gill suffers from neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome and lives with severe pain. The extremely rare condition occurs in about 0.2 per cent of the population. She underwent surgery in Boston in May, before the family formally launched an appeal of OHIP’s decision not to provide funding for the procedure.

The online fundraising campaign was created in March to raise funds to cover the cost of the surgery — $215,000 — and related expenses.