A young man who was caught hiding in a house that he broke into, after his accomplice ran off with half a million dollars worth of goods and left him behind, was slapped with a one-year prison sentence.

Twenty-one-year-old Dorcel Sewell, who had been trapped inside the house for seven hours after the police arrived, was found hiding in the storage room under a table.

The court previously heard that on July 7, the complainant locked up his house and went to rural Jamaica with his family, but while there he received a call that the police and fire personnel were at his house.

When he got home, the complainant found that his house had been broken into and that about $500,000 worth of items, including an assortment of colognes, gold chains, and pendants, were missing.

The court heard that when Sewell was cautioned, he told the police: “A mi and a brother do it from Cassava Piece and him gone wid the things dem.”

The complainant, during his court appearance in May, had reported that the thieves also damaged a television which they were in the process of removing from a wall when the police arrived.

According to the complainant, the police arrived at his home about 1:00 pm and Sewell remained inside until about 8:00 pm.

Sewell, who had appeared embarrassed and upset, then pleaded guilty to housebreaking and larceny and was remanded for sentencing.

Last Monday when he returned to court his lawyer, Gail Ann Galloway, during her plea in mitigation, told Parish Judge Vaughn Smith that her client had expressed remorse for his actions and had used the time while he was locked up to reflect on what he did.

“If given a chance he will be able to make a positive change in society,” she told the judge.

Galloway also told the judge that her client had no previous conviction and that he had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, and did not waste the court’s time.

The attorney, before asking the judge not to impose a custodial sentence, asked him to also take into account the time that Sewell had spent in custody.

Judge Smith, in reply, said while he took note of the fact that this was Sewell’s first offence and that he had not wasted the court’s time, he had to balance that against the impact of his actions on the complainant.

The judge indicated that Sewell’s act has left the complainant and his family in fear and has caused them to incur expenses for security.

Consequently, the judge told Sewell that along with all that had been said, and given the fact that he is not in a position to compensate the complainant, he is of the view that a prison term is warranted, and sentenced him to 12 months.

“Use the time wisely to reflect on what you have done, so that when you return you can make a positive impact on society,” Smith told Sewell.