Magistrate: "I don't understand why premises put alcohol where it can be taken"

Thursday 19 July 2018

Jersey's Assistant Magistrate has criticised local shops for having alcohol within customers' reach after a 45-year-old man stole vodka from three different stores over the course of two months.

John Peter Le Mière was bound over for six months and fined £250 - but Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris refused to add a compensation order, as requested by the CI Co-Op.

Le Mière had stolen two bottles of Smirnoff Vodka from the Charing Cross shop on 16 July as well as a bottle of Red Square on 17 July. The same day, he also stole a bottle of Smirnoff Vodka from Iceland in the Parade.

On 18 May, Le Mière stole a bottle of Echo Falls Vodka from the Costcutter shop on Roseville Street.

The Court heard that on 1 June, Le Miere was drunk at People's Park and acted disorderly. He became abusive when officers arrived.

On 9 June, Aztec House, where Le Miere was staying, contacted the police due to his level of intoxication. The Court heard that Le Mière was so "grossly intoxicated" that he couldn't walk or stand unassisted.

Advocate Adam Harrison, defending, told Court that Le Mière apologised for his behaviour. He noted that Le Mière had a significant record - he had appeared in Court in September 2017 for similar offences and was sentenced to six weeks in prison - but explained he had managed to get through his previous binding over order.

He explained that despite a "long standing issue with alcohol," Le Mière had managed to stop drinking for two months earlier this year. However, after learning that his father had been diagnosed with cancer, which caused him to worry, Le Mière had a relapse.

Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris decided to bind Le Mière over for six months, telling him: "On the last occasion, you managed three months." He also handed him a £250 fine and warned him that if he failed to pay, he would face a three-week prison sentence. 

However he rejected a compensation order made by the Co-Op saying: "I don't understand why premises put alcohol, especially spirits, where it can be taken, as it exacerbates the problem."