Kenneth Green at the Magistrate's Court on February 26, 2014. Photo: VINO

Frederick Penn at the Magistrate's Court on February 26, 2014. Photo: VINO

The sentences will not be invoked immediately and have instead been suspended for two years.

According to court records, Penn is an employee of TRS Construction based in Tortola while Green is an employee of Ebony and Ivory Construction based at Virgin Gorda. The offences were allegedly committed between April 26 and May, 2013.

The Crown’s claim was that Green asked Penn about the mixer belonging to TRS and the two arranged to have the mixer removed from the TRS worksite.

On May 4, Green had the mixer taken to the St Thomas Bay jetty at Virgin Gorda where it was later shipped to St Vincent. On May 24, a man from TRS discovered the mixer missing and a report was made to the Virgin Gorda Police Station.

Police met Penn about the report and he replied, “Officer, I lent Green the mixer and now I heard he shipped it to St Vincent.”

Green was later met about the report and he told Police, “Officer, me and Freddy spoke about that mixer but I made arrangements to bring it back.”

The mixer was later returned.

Penn, of Valley, Virgin Gorda, told the court that he regretted that he ‘try something’ and said he had been experiencing difficulties. The father of eight children said he had been struggling with raising his children with his wife.

Green, of St Vincent, told Magistrate John that no monies were passed for the stolen mixer. “I found out about the ownership before the monies were passed,” he told the court.

Magistrate John commented on the rampant ongoing spate of theft between various islands in the Caribbean where goods were stolen on one island and reappeared on another and said this had been going on for years. He described it as a very disturbing situation.