Man fined $300 for $95 worth of veggies: Climbed market fence and stole 5lbs of potatoes worth $45; 15lbs of onions and a bottle of pepper; says hunger drove him to do it

Posted: Tuesday, October 21, 2025. 2:56 pm CST.

By Breaking Belize News Staff: A Belize City maintenance worker who admitted to stealing vegetables and pepper sauce from a market stall told the court he was simply hungry when he committed the offense.

45-year-old Karl Parham appeared before Magistrate Mannon Dennison in Court #6 on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to a single charge of theft. The incident occurred on Sunday, October 19, 2025, when Parham reportedly climbed over a market fence and stole items belonging to a market vendor—including a bottle of habanero pepper valued at $5, five pounds of potatoes worth $45, and fifteen pounds of onions, bringing the total value to $95.

In court, Parham admitted his wrongdoing, saying, “I meh just kind ah hungry coming out that morning and so I just disrespected the market climbing over the fence.”

Taking into account his early guilty plea and the fact that he is a first-time offender, Magistrate Dennison imposed a non-custodial sentence, ordering Parham to pay a $300 fine plus $5 court cost by November 30, 2025, or face two months in prison if he defaults.

Parham was admonished to stay out of trouble, with the Magistrate noting that hunger was no excuse for theft.

 

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The post Man fined $300 for $95 worth of veggies: Climbed market fence and stole 5lbs of potatoes worth $45; 15lbs of onions and a bottle of pepper; says hunger drove him to do it appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.

Posted: Tuesday, October 21, 2025. 2:56 pm CST. By Breaking Belize News Staff: A Belize City maintenance worker who admitted to stealing vegetables and pepper sauce
The post Man fined $300 for $95 worth of veggies: Climbed market fence and stole 5lbs of potatoes worth $45; 15lbs of onions and a bottle of pepper; says hunger drove him to do it appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.