Local businessman Herbert “Sukie” Winston has expressed his utter dissatisfaction with the court’s ruling in a case against his former employee who stole over 1000 loaves of bread from his establishment.
Haitian national, Ricardo Guy who resides in Kingshill appeared before the Roseau Magistrate court recently where he pleaded guilty to the charge of theft.
According to the charge read by the police, between July 15, 2021, and September 24, 2021, Guy stole 1,320 mastiff style loaves from Sukie’s Enterprises which were valued at EC$1452.00.
Based on information from the police, the matter arose when management of the said establishment noticed several irregularities with Guy’s distribution and served him with a copy of a dismissal letter.
A new driver was assigned to his route and later reported that someone who was not on their distribution list had inquired about bread for sale.
The matter was investigated by management and upon conclusion it was determined that Guy was delivering bread to a particular individual for three months, pocketing the funds from his transaction without the knowledge and authorisation of management of Sukie’s Enterprises.
The matter was reported to the police on October 5, 2021, and an invoice with the amount of bread not accounted for was presented as proof.
The police commenced their investigation and following an extensive search for Guy, he was later found on December 8, 2021, and subsequently charged.
At his court hearing, presiding Magistrate Hansel Valarie took into consideration his guilty plea and the fact that he was a first time offender.
The Haitian was fined EC$1,000.00 to be paid by March 31, 2022, or in default three months imprisonment and he was also ordered to pay restitution to Winston, in the sum of EC$1,452.00 or in default three months imprisonment.
Following the ruling, Winston who spoke to Dominica News Online (DNO) said the court was too lenient in its judgement.
He stated that while he is sympathetic to the plight of non-national and provides them with employment, he was saddened that his employee whom he trusted had started a “bread cartel” against him, depriving him of his money.
“This thing went on for more than three months from what I was later informed. So I lost way more than $1,400.00. He was selling bread to another Haitian shop owner in Bath Estate and maybe that was not the only person who he was running his trade with on my product.”
Winston insisted that in handing its judgement, the court did not take into consideration the labour of his employees and ingredients, the fuel consumed by Guy in committing the offense as he was using the company’s vehicle or the amount of money pocketed for what he says was over a 3 month period.
“The court has shown a level of great injustice to me. This man was selling my bread as his side hustle but rather than imposing a forthwith fine, he is given four months to pay a small fine which he probably made more than double of.”
“He should have paid me my money immediately or he should be sitting in jail,” Winston averred.
The businessman sounded an appeal to the court to impose more stringent penalties against employees who steal from their employers to deter future offenders.
I want to express a different view to the above comments. Its quite obvious Mr. Hubert (Sukie) Winston does not have a proper internal control system. There should be a system in place, one person package the bread, one person makes the billing and one person distributes. For the Haitian to have had his customer, is evidence there was no system in place and the Hattian may have been the one packaging the bread for delivery, preparing the billing and making the delivery. There are several business here with no proper integral controls and the consumers pay the price. Owners increase their mark up to cover these losses which is more than implementing an internal control system.
I believe magistrate valerie was place there to do labor party bidding, he went soft on the Haitians involve in this mess cause skerrit want their vote again next election. If it was me an I doh get my money I would take them out……side.
What he did was wrong, you should not bite the hands that feeds you. IF Sukie was paying this guy decent pay he would not stole from him.
Sukie said he is sympathetic to the plight of non nationals…lie he Sukie lying. Since I know this guy he has been cheap and stingy. He loves cheap labor. Haitians will run them broke. Blame it on Skerrit. Make Skerrit pay you, Sukie!
“The Haitian was fined EC$1,000.00 to be paid by March 31, 2022, or in default three months imprisonment and he was also ordered to pay restitution to Winston, in the sum of EC$1,452.00 or in default three months imprisonment”. “This thing went on for more than three months from what I was later informed. So I lost way more than $1,400.00. Enough with the slave mentality, the court ordered him to pay. Why are you angry at the decision of the court?
#OneLoveDominicans #OLD
You want to be compensated?! Start by compensating your employees fairly and treating them well. Take what you get
I will say this is a fair judgement for the first time offender, especially for accepting his wrong doings. As the good lord would say , who has no sin cast the first stone ,go and sin no more.
How about thou shall not steal? If he was hungry I’m sure his employer would have given him bread but he has a side business at the expense of someone else…not cool.
He pleaded guilty because he got caught plain and simple. From the article it has been going on for a while,
He should have been punished hard to set an example to others.
You must realize that that there are two force’s ruling the world , and I’m sure you know what they are . You just have to forgive.
Sukie was the same person that was telling the government not to deport Haitians!!
Now your bread missing and you vex.
Stop your ignorance, I’m sure you have family living abroad trying to make a better life for themselves.
all the money sukie making he crying down a poor man for a little $1,400.00 now when he go jail for it going to cost the state more than the $1,400.00
P.S not saying the man was right in stealing Sukie bread
So what are you saying? That Sukie is wrong to talk about stealing from him for so long? Wrong is wrong, stop trying to see right in wrong. At least Sukie gave the man a job and trusted him to do an honest job, the man is the one who messed up and did wrong to someone who helped him. Sukie working hard for all the money he making, and he tried to help the same poor man you talking about. Let’s stop this behaviour and be fair in our analysis of things, or else this place we call Dominica will get worse and worse. It was never like that before. When someone did wrong, even if they owned up, it was labelled as wrong and dealt with accordingly, but this pacifying attitude that’s going non these days is what have some of our people thinking and acting the way they do. What are we teaching our children, what example are we to them, when we try to blame the victim?
You talking about “what examples are we teaching our children.” Well, our children are smarter than us…they are seeing and hearing of the corrupt conducts of our political leaders. So the already know what is going on in Dominica the lawless land. Dishonesty is all the way at the head. Have you, vrai den, opposed to that? Sukie deserves what he got. They are punishing their own people and slaving the Haitians. Don’t you think that those Haitians know that? They are stealing night and day from their employers.
The thing 8s with altuh so xalled businessmen. Alyuh rather empty Haitians and pay them below the minimum wage than hire dominicans and pay them how alyuh suppose to pay them. Take your links!!
The gentleman pleaded guilty and accepted responsibility yet the way sukie acting it’s like he want the magistrate to lock up the man and throw away the key.
Thieving is thieving. Like Sukie said the judge should order the thief to pay the man his money right away. He was thieving the man bread and selling and keeping the money. Was he stealing to feed his starving family(still wrong) but I think Sukie would have some empathy in this case. He would still be thieving and selling the nam bread if he didn’t get caught. A hungry man get arrested and beaten for thieving a little piece of cheese in a store a few years ago. It was wrong but he got punished for his crime. Paying a fine for willfully stealing from your employer who trust you to do a job now the idiot is out of a good job.
@Kevin, the thief is not a “gentleman.” Seems like you Kevin is a Haitian. He is a blasted thief; far from being a gentleman.