Confessed thief heading back to prison
Aman who served nine months in prison for housebreaking, and larceny and who has been free for about a year, is heading back to prison for similar charges.
Richard Morgan was was convicted in September 2020 and pleaded guilty to the new charges when the matter was first mentioned on March 24 in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court. He faced the same jurist, Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole-Montaque, both times. Prior to handing down the sentence yesterday, Cole-Montaque shared that she had a copy of Morgan’s antecedent, which revealed his 2020 conviction. But Morgan denied being convicted or being before the court for any offence.
“Did you ever go to prison for housebreaking and larceny?” the senior judge pressed. “No ma’am,” Morgan said.
However, it was not until the judge asked Morgan to remove his mask that he confessed to his previous wrongdoings and shared that she previously sentenced him.
“So you can imagine how disappointed I am to see you again. This was in 2020 and we are in 2022. Is there anything else you want to say before I sentence you?” Cole-Montaque asked.
“Actually, I begging you for some leniency. I woulda want a road sentence,” Morgan submitted to the court in his own plea mitigation.
But the judge, in her response, said she does not see the 24-year-old as a candidate for a ‘road sentence’, the informal name given to a suspended sentence. She said that despite what persons may think, she takes no delight in sending persons, especially young people, to prison.
“There is only one appropriate sentence for you and that is to go to prison and it pains my heart because you are 24 years old and I have sent you to prison already and here you come back again,” Cole-Montaque said. Morgan was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment at hard labour.
It was reported that on March 9, the complainant left her home to conduct business but when she returned to the premises, she noticed that a section of her home had been ransacked. She then informed the police that she was missing a television set, a laptop, a Samsung cellular phone and a Samsung DVD player valued at $290,000.