Stephen Wrinkle, 61, previous head of the Bahamian Contractors Association, was sentenced to one year in prison for siphoning electricity.
Apparently, Wrinkle directed an electrician to restore power to the Bayparl building, which he managed, after BEC disconnected the supply.
The electricity was siphoned off in February and March of 2011 at a cost of about $15,000 to the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC), the court heard.
Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis did not order Wrinkle to reimburse the cash-strapped utilities company, instead sentencing him to a year in prison and fining him $1,000.
Wrinkle’s lawyer, Jomo Campbell, filed an appeal against the conviction and sentence a few hours later. Outside court, Campbell said he would seek bail pending appeal as soon as the court’s calendar allowed. Campbell said he thought the sentence was excessive as it was Wrinkle’s first offense. During his mitigation plea, Campbell asked the court to order Wrinkle to make a donation to charity.
