ANDERSON IFILL desperately wanted to read a newspaper but was short of cash.
Coincidentally, officials at the Barbados Stock Exchange realised their newspapers were missing and called two media houses to find out why.
Assured that the newspapers were being delivered, officials at the Stock Exchange went to their closed circuit camera footage and saw a man “with a distinctive limp” scaling their four-foot fence and making off with their papers.
Confessed
On Saturday, Ifill, a 57-year-old gardener, of 4th Avenue, Belleville, St Michael, confessed to stealing five newspapers, between April 4 and 11, belonging to the Stock Exchange which is located at 8th Avenue, Belleville, St Michael.
“Why did you do it?” asked Magistrate Douglas Frederick.
“To read it,” Ifill replied. “I was short of cash.”
In the end, Magistrate Frederick placed him on a bond to keep the peace for six months. If Ifill breaches it, he will have to pay $750 forthwith or spend a month in jail.
Prosecutor Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim, who outlined the facts, said NATION and Advocate newspapers were delivered on a daily basis to the Barbados Stock Exchange.
Delivered as usual
However, on March 27, the deputy general manager realised the company was not receiving its newspapers and called the media houses to ask why. However, he was told the papers were being delivered as usual.
This information prompted the official to review the company’s security footage and he saw the papers were being taken by a man who was scaling the fence.
The thefts stopped.
But on April 4, the deputy realised newspapers were missing again. The CCTV footage showed that between 5:35 a.m. and 5:53 a.m., the same man was again scaling the fence and taking the papers. He had stolen the papers of April 4, 5, 6, 10 and 11.
Police were informed and their investigations led to Ifill. (HLE)
