A maintenance worker who stole liquor from an apartment in the building where he worked pleaded guilty to theft on Monday.
Nelson Barber, 63, entered the home of a senior living in a St. Albert apartment complex while she was away playing bingo. There was no maintenance scheduled when Barber entered the apartment.
The apartment owner caught Barber pouring himself a cup on video with a surveillance camera.
The owner had suspected Barber was stealing swigs from her liquor collection, but feared the accusation would make her appear senile, so she started measuring the amount of liquor in the bottles and taking photos. These showed the bottles had been shuffled around and were being depleted.
It was enough confirmation for the woman to set up the security camera.
The Crown and Barber’s lawyer presented Justice Bruce R. Garriock with a joint submission for 12 months of probation, and asked Garriock to grant Barber a conditional discharge.
Barber’s alcohol addiction spiralled out of control in 2020 after both of his parents died and his brother in law died by suicide, Barber’s lawyer told the court.
After the incident, Barber started attending both individual and group counselling to treat his alcohol use disorder
Family and friends wrote letters of support calling the theft “out of character,” and Barber’s lawyer described the theft as “a matter of impulse.”
Garriock gave Barber 12 months of probation and granted Barber a conditional discharge.
