Runway Beach Antigua and Barbuda

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By Zaya Williams 

A Villa man was told to compensate a tourist and a tour guide after he stole a bunch of their personal items while they were on a beach.

Five days ago, Gerard Brookes,40, nabbed two bags from a bus parked on Runaway Beach.

The victims, a man from the United States of America and a tour guide from Antigua left Sandals Grande Antigua Resort in a bus and went to Fort James for a tour of the beaches in the area.

They left their belongings on the bus which was being driven by an employee of the tour company.

When they got to the popular beach, they stopped for refreshments and to capture the moment, leaving their belongings in the vehicle which was parked on the road next to the beach.

While standing close to the shore, the defendant drove up, took two bags from the bus, ran back to his car, and sped off.

The bag contained ID’s, bank cards, cellular phones, cash, and other valuables. The visitor’s items were valued at $4619 while the local has $1960 worth of items in her bag.

After being arrested, Brookes took the police to an area of Friars Hill Road were discarded all of the items except for the cash he stole.

The man who was represented by Attorney Pete Semaj McKnight told the court yesterday that the father of two was “under a lot of stress” when he committed the crime.

He further explained that he was experiencing financial difficulties because money was recently stolen out of his vehicle.

Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh did not completely buy the story but moved ahead to order the man to pay $1000 to the tourist and $500 to the tour guide.

If he doesn’t pay by mid-September, he will be jailed for 6 months.