By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 37-year-old Belize City man with a lengthy criminal record was sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment on Monday after pleading guilty to theft, marking his fifth conviction for the offense.
Justin Goff, a Belize City resident, admitted to stealing a grey 24-inch bicycle valued at $600, along with $20 in cash on January 2, 2026. Goff told the court he later pawned the bicycle for $15.
During proceedings, Goff gave several changing accounts of what happened to the bicycle, initially claiming it was lost and that he intended to recover it. He later admitted pawning it and eventually led police to where the bicycle was being kept. Officers from the Criminal Investigation Branch recovered the bicycle within an hour and returned with it to court.
In sentencing submissions, the prosecution highlighted Goff’s extensive criminal history, which includes 34 offenses before the court and four prior theft convictions. The prosecutor argued that a fine would be inappropriate, particularly as Goff had only been released from prison in early December and had reoffended within just over a month.
While acknowledging Goff’s cooperation with police and his early guilty plea, the sitting Magistrate agreed that a custodial sentence was warranted and imposed six weeks’ imprisonment.
The court also addressed an outstanding $405 fine for a previous conviction related to possession of drug utensils, which Goff failed to pay in July 2025. The Magistrate ordered the four months’ default prison term for that unpaid fine to run concurrently with the six-week sentence.
The stolen bicycle is to be returned to its owner. Goff told the court that upon his release, his employer is willing to allow him to work to repay the $15 he received from pawning the bicycle.
The post Man with 34 prior offenses including 5 theft charges gets 6 weeks in jail for stealing $600 bicycle and pawning it for $15 appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 37-year-old Belize City man with a lengthy criminal record was sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment on Monday after pleading guilty to theft, marking his fifth conviction for the offense. Justin Goff, a Belize City resident, admitted to stealing a grey 24-inch bicycle valued at $600, along with $20 in
The post Man with 34 prior offenses including 5 theft charges gets 6 weeks in jail for stealing $600 bicycle and pawning it for $15 appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
