Spirit and sandwich thieves admit drinking before court

Thursday 31 January 2019

Two men, who yesterday admitted drinking before appearing in the court dock, have pleaded guilty to stealing a bottle of vodka, a bottle of rum and a sandwich from the Grand Marché.

Glen Rhys Le Claire (26) and Guy William Olivotti (29) appeared in the Magistrate's Court having both drunk a can of lager prior to their hearing where they faced charges of larceny for stealing supermarket items.

Relief Magistrate Sarah Fitz was informed that both Le Claire and Olivotti had drunk a can of 'Oranjeboom export beer' each prior to attending, but their lawyers assured her that both men were in a “fit” state to give instructions and enter pleas to the charges. 

Le Claire was represented by Advocate Estelle Burns and Olivotti by Advocate Nicholas Mière. The Defence Advocates indicated that their clients were pleading guilty to the offence.

This admission of guilt put Olivotti in breach of a previously imposed binding over order – a deal with the court whereby the defendant agrees with the Court to be of good behaviour for a fixed period of time. 

Pictured: The two men appeared in the Magistrate's Court after drinking a can of lager each.

The theft took place on 19 September last year at the Grand Marché supermarket in St. Helier. The alcohol was discovered missing “following a daily stock count” at the store. It was heard that the men stole a one-litre bottle of Absolut vodka and a one-litre bottle of Navy dark rum, worth £29.99 and £26.99 respectively. In addition to this, Le Claire also took a sandwich worth £2.35.

The Court heard that the two men were captured on CCTV “walking round the store together holding the bottles” before they left “without making any attempt to purchase” the items.

Addressing the Relief Magistrate, Defence Advocate Burns said that her client, Le Claire, “can’t really remember the incident”, explaining that “he has a brain injury, which he suffered in 2011”.

Similarly, Advocate Mière told the Court that his client “has had issues with memory” due to poor mental health. 

Pictured: The incident took place at the Grand Marché in St. Helier last September. (Google Maps)

However, both men positively identified themselves on the CCTV footage and admitted to the theft.

Having heard the case, Relief Magistrate Fitz decided to bind Le Claire over for three months, meaning that there is no direct penalty for this incident. However, if he commits another offence within the next three months, the sentence will also take his theft into account.

Before he was dismissed, the Relief Magistrate warned Le Claire: “You shouldn’t be drinking alcohol before coming to Court.”

After consulting with the Probation Officer on Olivotti’s case, the Relief Magistrate decided to let his existing binding over order continue as well as imposing a financial penalty of £50. 

Both men were also ordered to pay the Co-op back for the items they stole.