STEPHEN Wrinkle's year-long prison stretch for stealing electricity was cut short today after he was granted bail in the Court of Appeal.
The 61-year-old Eastern Road resident was granted $2,000 bail with a suretor and walked from court pending an appeal hearing in April.
Wrinkle, who is president of Wrinkle Development Ltd and a former president of the Bahamas Contractors' Association, was convicted on Tuesday of stealing electricity and sentenced to one year in jail.
Yesterday's bond came just two days after magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis refused to give Wrinkle bail pending a review of his decision to jail him.
Like Wrinkle, Edena Farah, who was convicted and sentenced for a scuffle with police officers two years ago, and had been denied bail pending appeal by Rolle-Davis, yesterday received a bond from Justices Anita Allen, Stanley John and Abdulai Conteh.
Comments
nancytreco 11 years, 2 months ago
Halejulah....someone with sense....finally!
MonkeeDoo 11 years, 2 months ago
You said it chile ! I think the CJ needs to make a few changes in the lower courts.
Ironvelvet 11 years, 2 months ago
Not picking sides, and clearly I'm not involved in the legal system, but how does anyone get bail when they have been sentenced? I thought you so straight from the court to the jail to begin the sentence.
Someone please educate me.
Guy 11 years, 2 months ago
They were sent to prison immediately following their sentencing. However, the court of Appeal has stayed the sentencing and granted bail pending its review by the Justices. It is a rather unusual step, but it doesn't surprise me that it has been done considering who we are dealing with here. Do I agree that the sentences were unduly harsh and should be reviewed? Yes I do. Should they be granted bail? Absolutely not in my opinion. They have been convicted!
TalRussell 11 years, 2 months ago
I would have thought Comrade Wrinkle upon his being convicted that the magistrate would have wanted to adjourn the proceedings to a later date on the court's calender, in order to give his defense counsel sufficient time to prepare summations and call character witnesses, before imposing a jail sentence, in which many voices feel was too harsh?
Not like he needed be bused off to Fox Hill Prison on the next bus out, in order to protect society?
John 11 years, 2 months ago
I maintain that if Mr. Wrinkle stole the amount of electricity that is claimed and if the theifin went on for the lenght of time they say it did, then Mr. Wrinkle needs some jail time. If a 'joneser' got 6 months for stealing $100.00 electricity, plus an additional month since he could not pay the fine, then why shouldn't Mr. wWrinkle get jail time for theif'in so much more of BEC current? Much more! If they cut cut down on this stealing then all out light bills may go down. Call it white collar crime.
caycomfort 11 years, 2 months ago
Pecisely! IF Mr. Wrinkle .... Will we ever hear the "evidence " against him? What about the electrician's testimony? And what about this bill from BEC? Where is it?
John 11 years, 2 months ago
The claim is that Wrinkle instructed the electrician to make the crooked hookup to BEC on a building he was rennovating downtown... It is further claimed that the building remained connected to B.E.C for some THREE years and the estimated electricity stolen was $154,000.00. Since the average light bill (homes) is $300.00 the average consumer will take 43 years to consume this amount of electricity. Even if we say the average light bill is $400.00 the a home owner would take 32 years to consume this amount of power, or it can run 32 homes for one year..and they say the punishment is too harsh..Free light for 30-42 years and you only spend a year in jail
concernedcitizen 11 years, 2 months ago
IT WAS 15,400 IN ELECTRICITY ,,,,,,,,,,,,STILL WRONG ,BUT FAR FROM 154,OOO ,,,,GET YOUR EYES CHECKED
John 11 years, 2 months ago
These illegal hookups can be a problem and the wrong person can end up getting charged. Lets take, for example, someone has an apartment and he rents it out. Rather than go to BEC, the new tenant decides to hook up his electricity illegally. He occupies the apartment fo a year or two and moves out, leaving the illegal supply on. Then tenant #2 moves in. The landlord ad the tenant ntices the light is still on but assumes that BEC just hasn't gotten around to disconnecting it. Then lets say one of two things happen: 1. The tenant kinda 'forgets' to go change the light over in his name. Why rush to do it since the light is already on. So the light stays on for a few months but eventually BEC finds out about the illegal connection. The second tenant denies any involvement and says he was just waiting for B.E.C to disconnect the old tenant so he could go turn his power on. The landlord says he knows nothing about it because he told both tenants they were responsible for their own electricity, but now the landlord is suspect, because when BEC checks, they find no meter has been registered for several years. The first tenant who did the illegal connection has already left so now who should pay BEC or get charged with stealing electricity?
242 11 years, 2 months ago
meanwhile houses in them villages have beautiful Christmas lights...
akbar 11 years, 2 months ago
A tief is a tief whether he/she from the Eastern Rd. or East St. Bahamians are a bunch of hypocrites. When the Chairman of BEC went into the House of Parliament and suggested that BEC workers were thieves there wasn't an outcry. Now that a white Bahamian has been caught stealing from BEC ,and the court does what is suppose to do to thieves, everyone up in arms "it is too harsh". The magistrate operated from what was on the books. He was found guilty,it should have been harsh a sentence because unlike most Bahamians nowadays he probably could have afford to pay the light bill but chose not to.He was constantly in the papers telling government what they should and should not do and like so many Bahamians they want improvements but don't want to pay for it. Now they need to go those Haitian villages and start some prosecutions on stealing electricity. Haul some MPs and Chairmen before the courts for not paying their excessively high electircity bills. Ohh I forgot the government has appointed one of those "rats" to watch the cheese.
CRock 11 years, 2 months ago
As an American that "USE to visit the bahamas 4-6 times a year I'm sadden at the crime and corruption that has plagued the bahamas. Let me ask,you don't think we know what goes happens on carmichael and bain town? I'm sick and tired of the garbage that is going on over there in such a beautiful place. Another question,why is it that the bahamian people are putting up with the chinese people taken over there country?? They built the new stadium,borrowed money for the infrastructure (roads and bridges) they are growing food over on andros and the worst part the chinese are shipping the food back home. Bah ha mar another chinese project. I will say this once and only once while there is one bahamian out of work,homeless,hungry,without health insurance the government SHOULD NOT ALLOW ONE FOREIGNER TO WORK in the bahamas until the bahamian people have the first chance PERIOD. I'm sick of the PLP,FNM and the DNA. IT'S TIME TO RETURN THE BAHAMAS BACK TO THE PEACE AND TRANQUILITY IT ONCE WAS AND IS KNOWN FOR.
rosiepi 11 years, 1 month ago
isnt this the same fool who to intended to bring onboard a plane a Smith & Wesson .38mm and it was stolen by LPA baggage handlers?
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