A Pembroke man has received a suspended prison sentence for spending almost $850 on cigarettes and sneakers using a stolen debit card.

Kevin Boys, 46, admitted to making multiple purchases at stores around Hamilton on August 17, using a Santander card which belonged to American tourist Chiam Birnhack.

Magistrates’ Court heard today that Mr Birnhack had gone out drinking on Front Street with his brother and a friend on the evening of August 16.

When the bars shut at 3am, the trio headed outside and asked Warwick resident Sinclair Fox if he knew anywhere they could purchase more beer.

Fox took Mr Birnhack’s debit card and promised to return shortly with alcohol. They waited for two hours, but he never reappeared.

Fox was later arrested after one of the holidaymakers realised they had a photograph of him, taken during the night’s revelries, and showed it to police.

He has since pleaded guilty to the theft.

The next day, Mr Birnhack discovered that his missing card had been used for multiple transactions, totalling $846, and contacted his bank to cancel it.

CCTV footage from several stores in Hamilton showed Boys using the card to buy numerous cartons of cigarettes and a pair of sneakers, before it was eventually declined.

When he was arrested, the defendant admitted to using the stolen card, adding that a “big black man” had given it to him and he did not know it was stolen.

The court heard that Boys, an unemployed grandfather who lives on Marsh Lane, had previous convictions and a history of dishonesty.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo suggested sending Boys to drug treatment court, but the defendant said that this would be “unnecessary” as his substance abuse problems were behind him.

Mr Tokunbo sentenced Boys to 12 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and released him from custody.

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