Sep 22 – Man Jailed For Stealing Jewellery From Girlfriend’s Terminally Ill Grandmother
A 23-year-old man was jailed for one year and four months after pleading guilty to stealing an estimated £10,000 worth of jewellery from his girlfriend’s terminally ill grandmother.
Nigel Segui, 23, who was living in the victim’s house in Schomberg House to care for her at the time, was told he “abused a position of trust” at the Supreme Court this afternoon.
The court heard that the jewellery, which was of sentimental value for the victim’s family, was sold in order to fund the defendant’s cocaine habit.
Puisne Judge Adrian Jack said: “Your counsel sought to argue that [the victim] was not a vulnerable person. I do not accept that. She was dying of cancer and you were in a position of trust in relation to her.
“You abused that position of trust by stealing this valuable jewellery from her. After your thefts were discovered, some of the jewellery was able to be recovered from the shops to which you had sold it, but the gems had been prised out of some items. In addition to the monetary value of the jewellery, it was of great sentimental value to [the victim’s] family.”
Mr Justice Jack remanded Segui in custody last month after he entered a guilty plea, but by applying for bail within a week he said Segui showed a lack of remorse. He also raised concerns about Segui’s previous convictions and lack of insight, reflected in his approach to treatment for his drug addiction.
Appearing for the defendant, Darren Martinez said Segui was remorseful and had offered to compensate the family with some of the value of the stolen jewellery. He also said his client was making amends to his life, and had applied for bail to help with his child and his job situation. He also said his client was attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings and seeking help while in prison.
Mr Justice Jack said that the report from Segui’s drug counsellor which revealed the continued non-attendance at meetings and failure to complete the written work showed a lack of motivation to address his drug use.
He added: “In my judgement, you are more likely to receive help with your addiction in prison than if you were at large.”
Robert Fischel QC appeared for the Crown.
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