An unemployed teen was sentenced to twelve months in prison yesterday after he admitted to breaking into a Pembroke business with the intent to steal.

Seventeen-year-old Steven O'Neil pleaded guilty to the charge of breaking and entering SKB Coatings on November 6, but while nothing was stolen from the premises, Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves determined that O'Neil's long record of previous offences made him a poor candidate for Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) initiatives.

Crown counsel Wayne Caines told the court that O'Neil triggered the store's alarm when he broke into the business last Wednesday.

When the store's manager was alerted that the alarm had been triggered, he returned to the premises and found that nothing had been taken although the door had been damaged.

The break-in was captured by the store's security cameras however, and Police arrested O'Neil the following day. Mr. Caines said O'Neil admitted his crime to Police, saying he'd been looking for money and "just looked in a couple of drawers".

The damages to the door were estimated at $100.

Mr. Caines said O'Neil had an extensive juvenile record including several break and enter convictions.

"Are you determined to be a criminal all your life," Magistrate Greaves asked the teen, who replied "no".

But Mr. Greaves said O'Neil's record made him an unsuitable candidate for ATI.

"We can't fix all the people that go wrong," Mr. Greaves said. "The accused, though so young, has had several brushes with the law. Breaking and entering is his speciality. He has been placed on probation several times and had corrective training and he appealed and lost. Now he has entered into the adult arena of crime".

O'Neil also pleaded guilty to a charge of refusing to provide a breathe sample to Police when suspected of driving while impaired.

Mr. Greaves fined the teen $1,000 on the charge to be paid by the end of December or 90 days in prison.

"I don't have that kind of money," O'Neil replied. "I'll take the 90 days."