(CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS)- Chelston Hanley, who was remanded to prison some weeks ago by Her Honor, Magistrate Yasmine Clarke after appearing in Court for stealing, had his day in Court on Tuesday, December 3, 2013.
Hanley was accused of stealing one (1) laptop, one (1) I-pod and a pair of headphones belonging to Ronald Russo, a medical student of the Medical University of the Americas. The total value of the items was $1000.00 U.S. He pleaded guilty to the charge.
According to the evidence read by Police Prosecution, Inspector Stephen Hector, on October 25, 2013 the defendant received a lift from Mr. Russo. Russo drove to New Castle and collected a black bag that contained the items listed after which they both headed to Jessup’s Village. After dropping off the defendant Russo then later realized that the items were missing.
Hanley was arrested on November 11, 2013 and while incarcerated police offers were able to retrieve the stolen items.
It appears that it was sometime during the drive from New Castle to Jessup’s that Hanley was able to take the items from Russo’s bag.
It was the defense of Hanley that he did not steal the items but if he had pleaded ‘not guilty’ he would have been fighting a losing battle because of his past. Hanley claimed that he was only asked to sell the items in which he did.
Magistrate Clarke told the defendant that he was trying to fool her. She also told him that he is an intelligent young man but he was using his intelligence for the wrong reasons.
‘A young man just wasting away your life in prison’, she said.
The habitual law breaker has been going to prison since 1999. His antecedence read that the first time he went to prison was in 1999 for house breaking, then in 2000 and 2002 for the same offense. In 2004 he also went to prison for escaping unlawful custody. His trend continued in 2006 for larceny and possession of cocaine, for which he served 18 months. In 2008 he received a 3 year prison sentence.
Now in 2013 Magistrate Clarke sentenced Hanley to yet another 3 years imprisonment.