REAL NEWS ANTIGUA: The woman who stole a bottle of rum from a St. John’s Magistrates Courtroom several weeks ago, while performing her cleaning duties, has been dismissed from the government service.
A source says her dismissal took place late last week and Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh received an official communication of the decision from the permanent secretary.
The woman was reportedly given a number of opportunities to admit to the offence, but, instead, gave various versions of how the bottle of alcohol came into her possession.
A source says she never made an offer to repay the $10 at which the alcohol was valued – after the bottle fell from her clothing and broke.
Now, for that paltry sum, the former cleaner has been placed on the breadline, the person observes.
Reports say the All Saints Village woman was taken into custody on Tuesday, January 31, and was later arrested, charged and granted station bail.
She appeared before Chief Magistrate Walsh, charged with larceny, and pleaded guilty to the offence.
She was then convicted and ordered to pay restitution for the item on Wednesday, February 1. The alternative sentence was one month in prison.
The bottle of alcohol was an exhibit from a case that was heard on January 30, in which a man was fined $100 for stealing it from a supermarket.
It had been left in a courtroom and was to be handed over to the investigator the following day, for return to the business place, since a restitution order had been made.
Reportedly, the woman took it while she was cleaning that courtroom. However, while she was cleaning the lobby area, the bottle fell from her clothes after her supervisor accidentally bumped into her. It hit the floor and shattered into pieces.
When checks were made for the item in the courtroom and it was discovered missing, the cleaner was questioned.
She reportedly said she had brought the bottle from home, but later changed her story, saying she had removed it from the courtroom while cleaning and had intended to take it back.
Reports say that, after the incident, Chief Magistrate Walsh and the staff did not want her back at the court, since items had been going missing over the past several months.
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Missing an entire salary in exchange for a cheap $10 rum huh?
Government fire? I thought they only transfer and especially for a $10 bottle of rum 🤔 my my my!!!
Send the lady to clean cooks, nothing there to steal, but to put the lady on the bread line oh lord 2 wrongs don’t make a right.
Wait *CONFLICT OF INTEREST*
How is it the magistrate now victim presided over the matter?
Seems a MORAL WRONG, LEGAL WRONG, LAWFUL WRONG.
the less fortunate cannot seem to get justice in this country.
The government employs the majority of people in this country, who does the government expect will employ her now?
Why not relocate her and suspend her are their not steps in the disciplinary process.
Seems as though she may have a case of wrongful dismissal and and on appeal a very strong case.
This woman lose her job and livelihood for the sum of ONLY $10, and Gaston Browne and his self-enrichment government are still in governance for siphoning gazillions – go figure!
As someone once sung:
🎶”The Likkle That The Poor Man Have Will Be Taken Away …”🎵 “You Gotta Hear What I Say …”🎶 “Hear What I Saaaay …”🎵
Again, one – subliminal – rule for the globalist elites, and another – hard-nosed – rule for the rest of us!
Maybe she is a kleptomaniac.
But I laughed out loud reading this story. That poor poor bottle of alcohol. Stolen twice and then murdered.
BTW what alcohol (besides beer) cost 10EC.
If the lady needs a job, ANR tell her send her number to your paper, and we will consider. At least we know that she knows how to deepclean, chuckle. Bet you where the bottle fell is sparkly! sparkly!
She lied so she could keep her secrets of the trade, secret.
at least she CAN read. Just as how UPP is struggling for leadership, so Pringle would have been put aside. Pringle needs oratorical classes.
@ ABC
compared to the lady who just stole $10, the ABLP ministers through THEIR AUTHORISED ENRICHMENT SCHEME FROM THE PRIME MINISTER HAVE STOLEN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CASH AND LANDS AND ABUSED THE CIP SCHEME.
GIVE THE DAM WOMAN A BREAK.
Pringle may not be able to read or write but he is of the HIGHEST INTEGRITY compared to GASTON and HIS MINIONS WHO HAVE 0.
ABC classroom, do you have attention deficit? WE TALKING ABOUT RUM
Wasn’t MrSpencer a tad unpolished as well in the beginning? Eitherway, Pringle fits in quite well as English is no longer a requirement these days in many arenas
He wil get better with the speech but what I care about now is ACTION
She was fired because she did not steal enough. If she had used Government Assets to enrich herself it would have been okay. That is accepted in Antigua at this time. Or if she bought as they say Crown Lands for peppercorn prices and give to her son. It would have been okay. That is called white collar crimes without charges applied. She should have bought Lands in the National Park area for crumbs and then sell it for millions,that would have been okay. We would be singing her praises as you people do the TAP TWO LEGGED DAWG. She is fired for a $10 bottle of Rum. I am not condoning what she did. However,there are persons in suits and ties in Antigua. Stealing from the people daily and nothing is done. Those in authority would turned a blind eye. They would go after the little man/woman. ANTIGUA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DAMN CLASSIST PLACE.
@BLACKM-MAN…👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
small thief does turn to big thief, a crime is an effin crime…she didnt know that TEN DALLA woulda make she lose her job, and it’s not even food so that the judge could have said ok, she was hungry. Government or Private na matter…Thieving r****
So using your logic @ #, Gaston and his self-enrichment cabinet should now be under lock and key 🗝, because as you put it:
“Small thief does turn to big thief, a crime is an effin crime …”
Bravo … 👏
Ah good! Thiefing scamp!
Alright. Now I am waiting on the story where the young lady that fraudulently converted money (that should have being paid in on a civil matter) to her own use gets fired. They only seek to send home who they don’t like. One fired for 10 dollars and another still working after stealing over 1000 dollars. Where is her court case? Where is her article?
Ok, as this is a matter coming out of the courtroom, can that learned magistrate rule on this for me please. Why does a person have to pay $85 separately and personally (without obtaining a government-stamped receipt) to court-appointed bailiffs to serve warrants? Is this a bigger crime than this $10 debacle?
Either you or the minister of legal affairs can respond, then look into this please. AND, isn’t justice supposed to be tempered with something? AND, who are the bigger crooks?
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