4 — Friday, June 14, 1996 — North Shore News

‘Show-ancd-tell’

dea

Fingerprint
evidence
trips crook

.BY ANNA MARIE D/ANGELO

News Reporter

STEPHEN Russell
Thomas accepted a
deal proposed by the
North Vancouver
RCMP last year.

Thomas, a 29-year-old
North Vancouver resident.
agreed to a police offer.to
reveal seven burglaries he
had committed in exchange
for no charges being laid.

On Wednesday. the deal
was called off in North
Vancouver provincial court.

Thomas ‘pleaded guilty to
one of the seven burglaries: a
break-in on Feb. 28, 1995 at
a Seymour-area house in the
2500-block of Walpole.

Judge Doug Moss levied a
suspended sentence with two
years’ probation.

Crown lawyer Ron Kockx
said Thomas was charged
almost a yeur after the bur-
glary owas committed.
Thomas’ fingerprints were
lifted from a stereo cabinet in
the house by police investi-
gators:

“The police agreed not to
press charges if he cooperat-

for

ed ands unless independent
evidence came to light.” said
Kockx.

The independent evidence
turned out to be Thomas” fin-
gerprinis.

Defence lawyer David
Walsoff said Thomas agreed
with the police “show-and-
tell deal” but because of his
clients poor education,
Thomas had not understood
the — independent-evidence
disclaimer,

Walsoff said he would
have argued an abuse of
process by police in the case,
but the Crown had agreed
with him that Thomas should
re sive a suspended sen-
tence.

Said Moss, “No more
independent evidence (in
seven B&Es). That boggles
the mind.”

Thomas has been on pro-
bation since last September
when he pleaded guilty to a
house burglary. The crime
occurred on March 9, 1995
in the 900-block of
Strathaven, also in the
Seymour area.

Thomas’ brother. Stanley,
was a co-accused in the case.

Wednesday's — sentence
was in connection with a bur-

.glary about a week before in

1995. At that time a home-
owner awoke to a bang in his
house during the early after-
noon. He found two men in
the house. They fled. Police
recovered Stephen Thomas’

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fingerprints from a moved
cabinet. Both Crown and
defence Jawyers agreed that
Thomas has been doing well
while on probation.

Walsoff said his client
was sober and drug-free for
almost a year.

Thomas is also enrolled in
school, said Walsoff,

The judge noted that
Thomas” brother, Stanley,
Was a negative influence,

Stephen Thomas was pro-
hibited from being in the
presence of his brother
except on the Burrard
Reserve.

The locations of the six
burglaries in which charges
were not laid were not
revealed in court.

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