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CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. —

A P.E.I. man who said he stole because he was cold and hungry was sentenced recently to 60 days in jail on several charges.

Jesse Douglas Paquet, 25, appeared before Judge John Douglas in provincial court in Charlottetown for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to breaching an undertaking, two counts of theft and two counts of breaching his probation.

Before hearing his sentence, Paquet said he felt silly and stupid about the charges.

“I’m not a bad person, and my career as a criminal is losing its passion,” he said.

The court heard Paquet stole a coat from a rack in the Old Triangle and in a separate incident took $20 worth of items from Buy Rite in Charlottetown.

He breached his probation and an undertaking by committing the second theft.

“I’m not a bad person, and my career as a criminal is losing its passion."

Jesse Douglas Paquet

Paquet also breached his probation by having contact with a woman he was under an order to have no contact with.

As he stood at the defence table in court, Paquet read from hand-written notes as he said he stole the coat because he was freezing and drunk.

He committed other thefts because he was cold and hungry, Paquet said.

“I was homeless and addicted.”

Paquet, who had a prior criminal record, told the court he wants to be in college working on his education in bioscience.

He asked the court to serve his sentence as straight time instead of intermittently because he didn’t have transportation to the jail and didn’t want to miss any weekends.

Paquet also apologized to the court, saying he was sorry for wasting its time.

Douglas told Paquet it wasn’t the court’s time he was wasting.

“You’re wasting your life.”

After sentencing Paquet, Douglas told him he needs to get his life turned around.

“You’re capable of doing so,” Douglas said.

Paquet will be on probation for one year after his release and must pay a total of $120 in restitution.



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