By FARRAH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A MAGISTRATE yesterday discharged a fisherman who was accused of stealing a boat after he explained that he thought the vessel had been abandoned.
Police arrested Lawrence Pratt, 45, after he stole a black and white Boston Whaler hull from Peter Roker’s Eastern Road residence on December 9.
He pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared before Magistrate Ambrose Armbrister.
The court was told that on the day in question Mr Roker left his residence to go to the airport. When he arrived there, he received a call from his wife giving him certain information. After speaking to her, Mr Roker returned to his home only to discover his boat had been taken from his yard.
He told police that he gave no one permission to move the vessel and filed an official complaint. The court was told that when officers made checks at Pratt’s residence, they discovered the stolen boat. He was subsequently arrested and taken to a nearby station. When he was questioned by officers there, the accused admitted to the offence and said he hooked the boat up to his truck and took it without the complainant’s permission.
When given an opportunity to speak during the hearing, Pratt told the magistrate that he only took the boat because he thought it had been discarded. He claimed he had been fishing in the Eastern Road area for years and had seen the boat filled with debris in an empty lot next to Mr Roker’s house. Pratt claimed he cleaned the boat out and tested it for leaks before taking it to his own yard. He said he knew he should have obtained more information before he moved the vessel, but moved it without permission “out of desperation”. He insisted he was remorseful since his actions embarrassed his family and church friends and he said it would never happen again.
As a result, Magistrate Armbrister said he considered the fact that Pratt had never been convicted of an offence before and noted he appeared to be extremely remorseful for his actions. As a result, he granted Pratt an absolute discharge.
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