Christmas Day Robbery Lands Repeat Offender in Jail

A man who gave the court a fake name wasn’t convicted for lying, but for something far more serious. Fifty-three-year-old Lester Smith, who first introduced himself as ‘Allister Alex Smith,’ admitted to robbing a woman of her purse on Christmas Day. That purse, worth sixty dollars, held her IDs, bank cards, and cash. Now, the victim fought back. Despite being overpowered, she managed to hit Smith with her phone before he ran off with the bag. Police quickly tracked him down, and today, Smith pleaded guilty to robbery. The Chief Magistrate handed him two years behind bars, but what happened next shocked the courtroom. Smith said, quote, ‘Once I go dah jail, I wah hang myself.’ He repeated that threat after sentencing, saying he’s tired of hardship and court. The Chief Magistrate immediately ordered precautionary measures to protect him, even after Smith tried to walk back his words. And this wasn’t Smith’s first run-in with the law. Court records show twenty-one prior convictions, including burglary, theft, and even escape from custody. That history bumped his sentence up before his guilty plea earned him a one-year discount. Tonight, despite his threats, Smith was escorted to the Belize Central Prison without incident. But his words leave lingering questions, was it a cry for help, or something more?