FAILING TO show remorse and leaving young victims afraid to sleep in their house were two factors in one of the longer sentences given in provincial court here in recent times.
Miles Telford Campbell was sentenced to three years in jail for one charge of break and enter and commit an offence and 16 charges of possession of stolen property by Judge Robert Hamilton yesterday.
He also was handed 60 day sentences for possessing break in tools and for breaching conditions of an earlier sentence – both sentences to run concurrently with the longer one.
Campbell had pleaded guilty to all these charges in August 2011.
He was granted 76 days time served for having been in custody already, meaning he will now spend about two years and nine-and-a-half months in jail.
Campbell will also have to pay $1,900 in victim fine surcharges.
During the summer months of 2010, Terrace and the surrounding area had a sharp increase in reports of residential and business break and enters.
The RCMP detachment assembled an investigations unit taking in general duty, plainclothes and street crew officers.
On Aug. 19, 2010, police arrested a 38-year-old man at a Sparks St. address.
Police said the man was in in possession of items taken from at least three of the summer's break and enters.
A search warrant for a residence in the 3700 block of Sparks uncovered a large number of electronics, paintings, power tools, welding equipment, sporting equipment, motorcycles, fishing rods and tackle and other household items.
The man was released on conditions.
In court, prosecutor Bill Funnell and defence lawyer Bryan Crampton gave a joint submission for a three-year jail sentence.
In his reasons for accepting the submission, Hamilton said he had read letters submitted to him from Campbell and his girlfriend; the former was about another charge he hadn't pleaded guilty on and the latter letter asked for leniency in sentencing.
Campbell's girlfriend also said probation officers and police had been hard on Campbell by not cutting him much slack in giving him letters to leave his residence for appointments.
“I have to say what doesn't come from either is much in the way of remorse for crimes committed over time,” said Hamilton.
“You were found in possession of a number [of items]. You plead guilty to one break and enter. Most, if not all, of the items were obtained from victims from being in their private homes.”
He had read three victim impact statements, only one of which actually addressed the effects the crime had and was quite moving, he said.
“I don't know if you had a chance to read it. Little girls are unable to sleep in their home, they slept in the RV, unable to sleep in their bed, they slept on the couch because they were afraid someone would break in again,” he said.
All the family photos, including baby pictures, were gone along with jewelry the mom inherited and hoped to pass onto her daughter one day, said Hamilton.
“All this is no longer available to the family because of the theft from their homes,” said Hamilton.
One charge of failing to appear, two charges of theft of $5,000 or under and 11 charges of break and enter and committing an indictable offence were stayed by the court.