The conviction of a 19-year-old suspect for misappropriation of goods (see related article) should serve as a lesson. Even though direct involvement in two related armed robberies and theft from a home could not be proven, loot from all these three cases had been found in his possession.
Not only that, but the defendant was caught red-handed trying to sell a laptop taken from the French side. He first claimed having bought the hard disc in a pawnshop and then changed his story when the dates failed to add up.
The judge obviously was not impressed and said the prosecutor had been rather mild with his demand for 200 hours of community service of which 80 suspended. Instead, the sentence for fencing was set at 90 days in prison of which 55 suspended, plus 60 hours of community service.
Mind you, the teenager will not go back behind bars, having already spent 35 days in pre-trial detention. However, the remaining 55 days incarceration now hangs over his head should he again commit an offence, rather than just more community service.
People who receive, buy or trade in stolen goods are almost equally guilty as the actual thieves. After all, without them there would be no market for such products.
While the mass looting following Hurricane Irma was widely condemned, it was notable how many persons accepted so-called gifts of which the origin had been unclear and dubious to say the least. Others purchased items with unrealistically low prices and feigned ignorance, when most of them are nothing short of hypocrites.
In fact, they contribute to property crimes in no small manner. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
