Castara youth jailed for housebreaking

"I didn’t have no cause to commit crime, but sometimes the Devil does tempt you to do stupid things," 19-year-old Keon Manswell told the Scarborough First Court. He had pleaded guilty to breaking into the guest house apartment of Rene Muller on December 6 and Stefan Roshak the next day. In imposing a six-month jail term with hard labour for the Muller break-in, the magistrate responded, "Each and every day of those six months, read your Bible and get rid of that Satan. You are too young to have Satan driving you to do these things and distress people!"

Manswell was also jailed for nine months with hard labour for breaking into Roshak’s apartment and stealing personal items. Charges were laid by PCs Sharon Williams and Kester Best of Moriah police.

The victims, of Switzerland and Sweden, were on vacation in Tobago and staying at a guesthouse in Castara. The court was told that Roshak secured his apartment and went to bed at 10.30 pm on December 7. About four hours later, he was awakened by a noise and found that louvre panes had been removed and a door opened. He soon discovered that two bottles of wine, a cell phone, and a Minolta camera, among other items, were gone.

None of the items were recovered, except for a bottle of wine at Manswell’s home. In the other incident, Muller retired at 11.15 pm on December 6, leaving several windows open. The next day, he awoke at about 6.30 am and realised that a camera, cellphone, binoculars, CD player, electric shaver and other items had disappeared. The cell phone was the only item recovered, the court was told.