CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A P.E.I. man who said he is giving up crime because he can’t do the time was sentenced recently to almost 200 days in jail for a string of offences that includes two break-ins.
Allan Joseph Thomson, 29, appeared before Chief Judge Jeff Lantz in provincial court in Charlottetown by video from jail where he has been in custody since his arrest on Sept. 29.
Thomson pleaded guilty to two counts of break and enter, two counts of possessing stolen property, one count of theft and one count of failing to attend court.
Reading from an agreed statement of facts, Crown attorney Nathan Beck told the court that Thomson and another male broke into an apartment building’s utility room by prying a door open.
The men stole more than $1,000 worth of items, although some were recovered.
In a separate incident in Charlottetown, Thomson broke into a shed where he carried out stolen items in clear garbage bags.
The court heard Thomson fell as he tried to take four bags with him on a bicycle.
A witness told the shed’s owner about the break-in and they followed Thomson.
In total, Thomson stole $1,575 worth of items form the shed, including a heat gun, a laser level, an angle grinder and a drill.
All of the items Thomson took from the shed were recovered.
The police also found Thomson had a Bluetooth device and a woman’s keys that were reported stolen from her unlocked car earlier that day.
A separate incident involved Thomson driving a stolen truck to a home where the resident reported two men showed up posing as Bell Aliant employees.
Beck said the men asked for someone who didn’t live there and the interaction was caught on video.
The police later found the stolen truck in a parking lot in New Glasgow and saw Thomson in a vehicle nearby with two other men.
Beck said the police searched the vehicle and found several items including a Taser and a buck knife.
In another unrelated incident, Thomson stole Fireball whisky from a liquor store by putting the bottle down his pants and leaving the store after paying for some beer.
Before hearing his sentence, Thomson addressed the court, saying he has given up crime.
Thomson told the court that people say don’t do the crime, if you can’t do the time.
He said he can’t do the time.
“I learned my lesson sir,” Thomson said.
The court heard Thomson became addicted to drugs after an injury and he had mixed results when it came to treatment.
Lantz said he hoped the convictions will be a wake-up call for Thomson to deal with his addictions and mental health issues.
Along with the jail time, Thomson will be on probation for two years and must pay $874.71 in restitution for his various offences.
He must also provide a DNA sample for the national databank.
Ryan Ross is The Guardian's justice reporter.
