Truck driver sentenced for stealing rum
KINGSTON, Jamaica – A truck driver who made off with $270,000 worth of rum belonging to his employer was slapped with an 18-month prison sentence in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The court heard that 40-year-old Oliver Pedley, an employee of Red Stripe, collected the goods from the company to deliver to the Kingston Wharves for export to Canada.
But Pedley, while on his way diverted and instead went to Cockburn Pen in St Andrew where he and others offloaded some of the rum. His employers however became suspicious, checked the goods and found that some was missing.
The police were called and Pedley arrested.
When he appeared in court Thursday Pedley’s attorney begged for leniency and asked the magistrate to consider the defendant’s three children and the fact that this was his first offence.
But Pusey refused stating that trucking was a critical part of commerce and manufactures must be able to trust truck drivers.
“If we can’t trust truck drivers commerce is going to collapse,” she said.