Tourist fined $3,000 for stealing on cruise
A cruise ship passenger admitted stealing spa supplies while en route to the Island.
William James Mullen, a 46-year-old New Jersey resident, pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court to stealing nearly $3,000 of spa goods and a Royal Caribbean Sea Pass Card, which he used to buy two bottles of cologne.
According to the charges, the incidents occurred in Bermuda waters.
Crown counsel Susan Mulligan told the court that at around 5.50pm on September 10, Mullen and his wife, passengers aboard the Explorer of the Seas, attended the on-ship spa for a massage.
Following his massage, Mullen was left unsupervised for a period, during which time he stole $2,799 of spa products.
The next day, Mullen stole another passenger’s Sea Pass Card, which is used to make purchases on the vessel.
He then used the card at an on-board store to purchase $136 of cologne, signing the card-owner’s name.
When the Explorer of the Seas docked at King’s Wharf on Wednesday, police officers came on board the vessel to search Mullen’s cabin, where they discovered the stolen items.
Mullen was described by duty counsel Leonard Holder as a self-employed management consultant and a father-of-four.
Mr Holder told the court Mullen is a kleptomaniac, meaning he suffers from an impulse control disorder and has the urge to steal.
Mr Holder also explained that Mullen is in therapy and on medication for the disorder, and is willing to face the consequences of his action.
“The consequences have already impacted on him. He hasn’t been able to enjoy his vacation with is wife, who is in the courtroom today,” Mr Holder said.
“The ship doesn’t want him back, so he is not going to be able to leave on the ship, so he will have to find some other way out of the jurisdiction.”
When Mr Holder said that the trip was not the one Mullen had anticipated, Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner responded: “He anticipated coming on board and stealing other people’s things.”
Mr Warner fined Mullen $2,000 for each count of stealing, ordering that the money be paid immediately.
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Published Sep 17, 2012 at 12:01 am (Updated Sep 16, 2012 at 11:29 pm)