Court gives "one last chance" after St. Aubin break-in

Saturday 01 August 2020

A woman has been given “one last chance” to turn her life around after breaking into a house and stealing jewellery and makeup.

Lisa Michelle De Sousa (37) thanked the Royal Court after it rejected the Crown’s call to send her to prison, instead sentencing her to 180 hours of community service.

Addressing Miss De Sousa, the Bailiff, Tim Le Cocq, said: “We cannot say that the Crown is wrong in principle in calling for a custodial sentence but in light of exceptional mitigation, we are giving you the chance to prove to us, and yourself, that you can turn your life around. 

“We note that you really want to show you can make a positive contribution to society and we hope that you will seize this last chance.”

Miss De Sousa broke into a house in St Aubin on 26 February and stole £900 worth of items. In doing so, she broke a probation order imposed just two days earlier, in relation to two common assaults against her partner, who rented a flat within the property.

Pictured: Lisa De Sousa stole £900 worth of goods from a home in St Aubin.

It was while collecting her belongings from her now ex-partner’s flat that Miss De Sousa noticed that the front door to the upper flat was unlocked. She was drunk and, when interviewed afterwards, couldn’t remember stealing the items, which included a highly sentimental necklace that belonged to the victim’s grandmother. 

The police, however, recovered all the stolen goods when they visited Miss De Sousa’s town home the following day after reviewing CCTV footage.

Defending Miss De Sousa, Advocate Sarah Dale argued that there had been no forced entry and the value of stolen items had been relatively low. She added that the offence had to be seen in light of a difficult childhood and a highly abusive relationship. 

“This was not premeditated, there was no damage, all the goods were recovered, there was no accomplice, and my client suffered significant trauma just before case,” she said.

Pictured: Advocate Sarah Dale.

“She is committed to making changes to her life and recognises that her choice of partners has not been healthy. She now wants to be given opportunity to work in community because she needs a level of support that will not be available in prison.”

The Bailiff, who was sitting with Jurats Charles Blampied and Kim Averty, agreed with Advocate Dale’s proposed sentence: a 12-month probation order, which starts immediately, and 180 hours of community service, which will begin in six months’ time to allow a back injury of Miss De Sousa’s to heal and the Community Service Team’s ‘light duties’ operation to reopen after the lockdown forced its closure.