By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporter

JAMES Leach didn’t
want the hiking boots
and seven pair of socks
he stole from Zellers in
Park Royal on Sept. 2.

The 39-year-old Maple
Ridge oman owas “bulk
shoplifting” more than $100
worth of items in West
Vancouver to buy drugs.

On Monday in West
Vancouver provincial court,
Leach’s lawyer David Forsyth
explained that his client had a
$100-a-day cocaine habit.

The big-ticket need had
built up over a two-year peri-
od of cocaine use.

; Leach works delivering
flyers.

Forsyth said his client had
been drug free for two
months.

The lawyer said Leach
planned to attend Narcotics
Anonymous and Alcoholics
Anonymous in an effort to
deal with his drug problem.

“But for the drug prob-
lem, he wouldn’t be
these courts,” said Forsyth.

Judge Reginald Grandison
said a $100. -a-day drug habit
could only be supported with
a high-paying job.

Bur a thief would need to

Shoplifting for
$100-a-day
cocaine habit

take about $500) warth of
goods a day to sustain a
$100-a-day cocaine habit.

“This man has been oom
mitting criminal offences for
two years by admission.” said
Grandison.

Replied — the © defence
lawyer, “Thas's not the

. He is not charged
ing a drug addict.”

Grandison asked the
defence lawyer why Leach
was shoplifting for ‘drug
money ata time when he said
he was nor taking drugs.

The judge also wondered
why Leach had not been
caught committing crimes
during a two-year period of
heavy cocaine use.

Leach did not have a crim-
inal record.

He pleaded guiity to the
shoplifting charge.

The defence fav said
his client had worked fairly
steadily throughout his life.

His working life included
jobs as a bartender, disc jock-
ey and hotel desk clerk.

The defence lawyer asked
for a conditional discharge.

charge dogs not carry
a criminal record.

Crown lawyer Dan
Malligan asked for a suspend:
ed sentence with probation

Grandison said that a con-
ditional discharge was inap-
propriate,

The judge said Leach was
not naive and had. stalen
$120 worth of propert

The judge appeared to be
leaning towards a heavier
sentence than asked for by
the two lawyers,

Forsyth said that he was
aware of no case where a 39-
year-old man with no ¢
nal record went to jail for a
theft under (shoplifting)
charge.

Grandison gave Leach a
suspended sentence with 12
months’ probation.

“And if you are caught
back here stealing for any
reason, you are going to jail,”
said Grandison.

Lea common-law
wife, Kathleen Alice Nelson,
was a co-accused in the case.

The charge against her
was dropped.

Nelson was in the prison-
er’s box during court pro-
ceedings.

Earlier = this = month,
Nelson was held in custody in
connection with anor
criminal charge.

Wednesday, September 25, 1996

- North Shore News - 11

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