A serial thief has been jailed for ten days for stealing a drill set out of the back of a work truck.

Appearing in Magistrates’ Court this morning, Sinclair Fox, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to the offence that happened in Pembroke on March 26.

Meanwhile, 46-year-old Antoine Tuzo, of Pembroke, admitted dishonestly receiving the stolen goods on the same date and was fined $300.

The court heard that the complainant had parked in front of the General Post Office on Church Street and secured the vehicle before heading to work.

Sometime between 3am and 3.30am, he placed the bag containing the drill set in the back of the truck and went back to the post office to collect the rest of his tools.

The bag was gone when he returned and he reported the theft to police, who identified Fox on CCTV footage. CCTV footage also showed Tuzo paying Fox $50 for the bag later that day.

Officers attended Tuzo’s residence and recovered the bag, with the defendant telling them: “I just bought the stuff from a bum on the street.”

In court today, Fox apologised, adding: “I just needed a couple of dollars to get something to eat.”

And Tuzo said: “It was a bad decision on my part. I saw an opportunity to get something cheap.”

He added that it had “obviously” not been worth it because he was now before the courts.

Describing himself as an honest person, he said he had fully cooperated with police and requested a conditional discharge.

However, magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo said a conditional discharge would not be appropriate and handed him a $300 fine.

And he sentenced Mr Fox, who has a history of similar offences, to ten day’s imprisonment.

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