Pensioner jailed for stealing avocadoes

A 64-YEAR-OLD pensioner was yesterday jailed for 17 months when he pleaded guilty before a San Fernando Magistrate to larceny of avocadoes and possession of a device to smoke cocaine.

Pensioner Lincoln Huggins faced judgment before Fourth Court Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan, who reprimanded and discharged him on two other charges, namely being found on an enclosed premises and trespassing on cultivated lands. The court heard that on October 31 2002, Huggins entered the premises of a gardener in the Ste Madeleine district and stole a quantity of avocadoes. PC Jaimungal of Ste Madeleine Police Station investigated the larceny. Huggins was arrested last week Friday by PC Bicano, who charged the man with possession of a device to smoke cocaine after he was held along the Naparima/Mayaro Road with the device. While he was detained on the device charge, Huggins was questioned by PC Jaimungal and subsequently charged with larceny of the avocadoes, being on an enclosed property and trespassing on cultivated lands. Court prosecutor Cpl Ali informed Rambachan that Huggins had ten previous convictions. “Imprisonment and fines seem not to have deterred you from a life of crime,” Rambachan told Huggins, after the accused pleaded for leniency. Huggins was sentenced to 12 months on the larceny charge and five months on the charge of possession of the device. The sentences are to run consecutively.