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Man Convicted for Theft of JUTC Fuel

September 22, 2010

The Full Story

The man who was caught by the police, attempting to remove some 50 gallons of diesel fuel from the Jamaica Urban Transit Company’s (JUTC) Rockfort depot in East Kingston last week, has been slapped with a nine-month prison sentence.
The JUTC’s Communications Manager, Reginald Allen, told JIS News that 29 year-old Christopher Duffus of Hyslop Avenue, Rockfort, was ordered incarcerated by Resident Magistrate, Her Honour Judith Pusey, when he appeared in the Corporate Area RM Court, Half-Way Tree, on Monday, September 20, for sentencing on a charge of simple larceny.
Mr. Allen said Duffus, who was apprehended at the depot on September 12 by a police party on a pre-dawn patrol in the vicinity of the facility, pleaded guilty to the charge when he initially appeared in court on September 17.
He was spotted and held at the depot by the lawmen at approximately 3:00 a.m. on September 12, with some 10 five-gallon containers of the petrol, believed to have been siphoned from several public passenger buses parked on the compound. He was subsequently arrested and charged.
The trial of two other persons, who have also been charged with simple larceny of fuel from the depot, in a separate incident, is pending.
The arrests and conviction are a major breakthrough for the JUTC and, by extension, the Ministry of Transport and Works. In July, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Michael Henry informed of petrol stolen from some 32 buses parked at the facility. He indicated then that efforts were being made to reduce the incidence of theft at the depot.
Since then, Mr. Allen said the police and the JUTC’s Security Department have been collaborating to institute proactive measures to address the matter, as investigations are conducted. The investigations are being led by the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) East Kingston Division, which is still seeking other persons of interest in the matter.
Mr. Allen pointed out that the latest arrest and conviction demonstrate the effectiveness of the ongoing collaboration between the police and the JUTC.

Last Updated: August 13, 2013

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