A Hamilton Parish man who admitted stealing a $20 bottle of vitamins was sentenced to 3½ years behind bars after his conviction activated three suspended sentences.

Ramon Blanchette, 56, pleaded guilty to stealing a container of Oily Daily Energy Vitamin, valued at $20.99, from the MarketPlace in Pembroke on November 5, 2024.

While Matthew Frick, for the Crown, said that the offence would usually attract a fine, Blanchette’s case was complicated because of the several suspended sentences hanging over his head at the time of the theft.

Blanchette had been convicted multiple offences from 2020 including four counts of burglary, one count of prowling and one count of stealing.

In April 2022, he was sentenced to three years for the burglaries and the theft and two years for prowling.

However, all of the sentences were suspended for a period of three years.

Mr Frick added: “Having now committed this new offence of a similar nature of theft, it would be open to the court to activate these suspended sentences, should the court wish to.”

He said that Blanchette was not a stranger to the courts, having been convicted for various offences since 1986, but deserved credit given his early guilty plea for the new matter.

Blanchette initially asked to withdraw his guilty plea on the basis that the police had not approached him about the new offence for more than a year, but senior magistrate Maxanne Anderson denied the request.

He then urged the court not to send him back to prison, stating: “I have a business, a landscaping business that I run. Sending me back to jail would be a setback for me.”

While Blanchette said he had not been in trouble with the law in 13 years, claiming he didn’t know about the 2022 convictions, Ms Anderson said that having reviewed the files she was satisfied that the convictions were his.

Ms Anderson added that Blanchette had told a report writer that he had no interest in receiving probation.

In the circumstances, she activated the 2022 sentences, ordering them to run concurrently.

She further sentenced Blanchette to six months for the most recent offence, with that sentence to run consecutively to the others for a total sentence of 3½ years.

However, Ms Anderson said Blanchette could appeal the decision if he chose.

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding court cases. As we are legally liable for any libellous or defamatory comments made on our website, this move is for our protection as well as that of our readers