A recently-retrenched Government worker was so stressed out that he walked into a supermarket, took up four bottles of Guinness and walked out without paying.
That proved to be a costly error for Neil Linton as he was remanded to HMP Dodds after he could not find a surety to sign his bail.
When he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates' Court today, the 40-year-old of St. Barnabas, St. Michael, guilty to stealing four bottles of Guinness on December 12. The stolen property belonging to Chanell Enterprise Limited was valued at $15.86.
The first-time offender told Magistrate Douglas Frederick he had recently been laid off from the Barbados Water Authority (BWA), where he had worked for two and a half years.
“I have been under a lot of stress since being laid off from the BWA. What I did was a stupid and a foolish thing,” Linton admitted.
“I am very sorry and it was foolish of me. I apologized to the manager at the supermarket and I am apologizing to this court.”
The puzzled magistrate then asked Linton how stealing the Guinness would have helped his cause.
“I only went for one, but the other three came along,” was Linton’s response.
“Came along? I’ve never seen Guinness walk before,” Frederick quipped. He then asked Linton if he had someone to sign his bail.
However, after making several phone calls, Linton was unable to secure a surety which resulted in him being remanded until Tuesday.
The court heard from prosecutor Station Sergeant Carrison Henry that Linton went into the Chanell’s supermarket on Collymore Rock, walked around and left. He returned later that evening and was kept under observation by a security guard.
He was seen going into the section where the hams were kept before moving on to the section where the Guinness was located. Linton was then seen taking up the beverages and putting them in his pants pockets.
He proceeded to exit the supermarket but the guard shouted and alerted the manager, who stopped Linton as he attempted to leave and the drinks were found in his pants pockets.
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