A Trinidadian man listed according to police record as being of no fixed place of abode (NFPA), who chalked up his third conviction for larceny-related offence within the space of six months, was on Monday jailed for four years with hard labour after he was convicted of being in possession of a house-breaking implement at Mt. Pleasant in October last year.

Christian Deveaux, 23, the father of a four-year-old boy, was sentenced by Senior Magistrate Annette McKenzie after he was found guilty at the close of the trial in the Scarborough First Court.

However, according to court records, Deveaux is at present in prison serving a two-year term, having been convicted and sentenced on January 22, last, on a charge of house-breaking and larceny. And, last week, the court was also informed, Deveaux was convicted and fined $2,500 or in default nine months imprisonment with hard labour on a charge of receiving stolen goods.

With respect to the substantive matter of possession of a house-breaking implement, namely a screw-driver, Deveaux, who was represented by attorney Deborah Moore-Miggins, had pleaded not guilty to the charge laid by Acting Inspector Sterling Roberts, attached to the Crown Point Police Station.

He was however convicted by the Magistrate, who stated that after hearing the evidence from both sides she had no doubt in her mind that Deveaux was guilty as charged.

This, after she earlier turned down a 'no-case' submission from defence attorney Moore-Miggins.

According to evidence led by Prosecutor Sergeant William Davis, detectives Roberts and Constable Kerron Jonas, who were then attached to the Old Grange Police Station, were on an exercise in the Mt. Pleasant area around 2.30 a.m on October 3, 2009.

The court heard that they spotted Deveaux with a pointed object in his hand walking along the roadway. He was bare-footed, bare-backed, and wearing a black track pants, the court was told.

Roberts said he saw Deveaux enter someone's yard and began looking through a window into the house, and when he called out to Deveaux he dropped the pointed object and ran away from the scene.

Roberts said that he retrieved the object which turned out to be a screw-driver, and Deveaux was subsequently arrested by warrant on October 30.

Deveaux told the court that he was living at Crown Point on October 3, 2009 but could not recall where he was that day at the material time. "I can't say where I was on October 3, 2009. I can't really recall where I was that day," he said.

Defence attorney admitted that her client had a "negative" history and pleaded with the Magistrate to be lenient taking into consideration that he was the father of a four-year-old son.

The Magistrate, however, noted his two previous convictions and sent him to prison for four years with hard labour.