Court Report: 26/10/2020 @ Snaresbrook Crown Court
I’m in Courtroom 5 before His Honour Judge L.J West-Knights QC for the sentencing of 39-year-old Mr Ilidio Bacai, a Lisbon national born 03/06/1981.
He is being sentenced today for three offences he’s pleaded guilty to including robbery, ABH and a failure to surrender at court.
With regards to the ABH matter the court is told that on July 24th 2019 Mr Bacai was working at a warehouse when a colleague dropped from a forklift what was described as a “500kg pump” near to the defendants foot. An altercation followed and Mr Bacai punched the victim several times knocking him to the floor. The prosecution barrister tells us the victim was off for two weeks on reduced pay.
The indictment of robbery took place at 9am on Sunday 20th October 2019 within the East Ham ‘Cashino’, a shop described as part of a chain of 24-hour-gambling arcades.
The court was told that the defendant was gambling on a machine and encountered an issue with a note that had been placed into it. He spoke to a member of staff, a lone-working-woman, who took the cashbox from the machine to the office to check.
We are told the defendant followed her into the office and “began to wrestle” with the victim. “Give me my money back” the defendant shouted out. As she tried to push him away, he bit her middle finger, and the court was shown a photograph of her hand with the injury.
The court is read extracts from the victims personal impact statement which describes the impact the incident has had on her causing “lots of issues” and “sleepless nights”. She is now working fewer hours and earning less money as a result of not wanting to work alone at the store.
The court was told the defendant took 2 bags, valued at £1000, of so-called Cashino chips. He was tracked down using his fingerprints taken from the scene and he attended Tottenham Police Station in April 2020 where he was arrested. He has been remanded in custody since.
The court is told the defendant has a previous conviction of criminal damage and common assault committed after an incident at a Cashino store in Ealing which was dealt with at a Magistrates court in July 2019.
In mitigation, Mr Bacai’s lawyer tells the court that during the 6-months he has been in prison this has allowed him a “period of reflection” and he now “recognises the grave mistake made”.
Having been in the country since 2014 we’re told he is the sole bread winner for his disabled mother in his home country of Portugal and that he also has two dependent children. We’re told that since being in prison he has been unable to speak to all three.
In sentencing Mr Bacai His Honour Judge L.J West-Knights QC tells the defendant that “many people have gambling problems but don’t commit robbery”.
For the Cashino robbery Mr Bacai is sentenced to 48-months reduced down to 26 months because of the early guilty plea and the adverse prison conditions under Covid.
For the ABH charge he’s sentenced to 26-weeks reduced down to 12 weeks for the same reasons.
For failing to appear at a previous hearing he receives 7-days custody.
All sentences will run consecutively so Mr Ilidio Bacai faces a total of 29 months and 7 days.
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