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Report ordered on man who stole $7,000+ worth of goods

A homeless man was remanded in custody after he admitted breaking into two businesses and stealing more than $7,000 worth of goods.Sonny Bell, 49, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, both of which took place in August.Crown Counsel Cindy Clarke said Bell, a familiar face in Hamilton, stole the items from the Paraquet Restaurant and Bermuda Air Conditioning (BAC) on Mill Creek Road, Pembroke.Cleaners discovered the Paget restaurant had been broken into around 6.30am on August 24, she said.They found a hole in the drywall ceiling in the dining room, that was large enough for a man to pass through.The staff then discovered that items valued at $5,500 had been taken including all the cigarettes in the restaurant, a point-of-sale computer and a credit card machine.A DVR machine, designed to record footage from the building’s CCTV cameras, was also removed, along with a set of keys to the building and nearby guest cottages.As a result, all the locks had to be changed.The complainant’s cousin discovered the stolen DVR machine near the property while walking to church.Officers were able to recover images from the night of the robbery, which showed Bell in the premises.BAC management discovered on August 29 that their building had been broken into, and $2,630 taken.CCTV footage from cameras around the building on August 28 showed a man on the property attempting to mask his appearance with a handkerchief and an umbrella.At one point, the man approached one of the cameras and pointed it towards the sky. Bell was later arrested for the incidents in a house on The Glebe Road. A search of the premises revealed a bag containing clothing matching that worn by the culprit of the BAC burglary.Bell has an extensive criminal record, including convictions for past break-ins at the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society building and Fantasea Dive Shop.Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner ordered that a Social Inquiry Report be carried out before sentencing, remanding Bell into custody until it is complete.He is expected to return to Magistrates’ Court on October 17.