A Prince George Provincial Court judge reluctantly sentenced a 44-year-old man on April 7 to house arrest and probation after he pleaded guilty to two charges of theft under $5,000 and breach of an undertaking.
Eryk Christopher Edge will spend 150 days in home confinement, with allowance to leave for two hours on Monday and Friday afternoons and anytime for an urgent medical appointment. He will also spend a year on probation.
Judge Cassandra Malfair reluctantly accepted the joint sentence proposal by Crown and the defence. She acknowledged that Edge was undeterred from reoffending after he served a 30-day sentence in the community in 2022 for possession of stolen property and a similar 60-day sentence in 2024 for two counts of theft.
Malfair explained that the Supreme Court of Canada requires judges to accede to a joint sentencing proposal, unless it would bring the administration of justice into disrepute.
“Which is a very hard bar that will only be met in rare cases and certainly is not met in this case,” Malfair said.
Malfair did, however, address Edge directly about the damage he did by shoplifting.
“It harms businesses and harms employees,” she said. “It harms customers. It drives up costs for everyone. It necessitates the hiring of security guards, which not only, again, raises costs, but it affects the shopping environment for everyone.”
The court heard that Edge had been caught in Winners/Homesense in Pine Centre Mall on Jan. 31, 2024 after a store loss prevention officer noticed he was violating a prohibition from attending the store.
During the RCMP’s “boost and bust” anti-shoplifting crackdown, a police officer who reviewed store surveillance footage confirmed that Edge had breached the ban.
Just over two weeks later, on Feb. 15, 2024, RCMP received a report of a man stealing items from Save-On-Foods in College Heights. An officer arrived to find Edge in a church across the street, wearing an Elmer Fudd-style hat, brown jacket and jeans, and with several bags of groceries.
Edge showed the officer his identification, said he was waiting for a ride and that he had thrown out the receipt when he left the store. The officer photographed the groceries, then went to the store and reviewed surveillance footage. A man matching Edge had placed items worth $235.86 in a cart and left without paying, court heard.
Then, on May 31, 2024, RCMP investigated a theft from the Hart Highway location of Save-On-Foods, where Edge was observed on surveillance footage stealing a full cart of groceries worth $788.82. Edge returned to the store, left and took a bus heading south on Highway 16. An officer stopped the bus and arrested Edge.
Court heard that Edge, who has a Grade 12 education, completed a hotel and restaurant administrative course and has 18 years experience in the hospitality industry, expressed remorse and shame.
Due to cocaine and methamphetamine use, he could not afford to feed himself at the time of the incidents.
Malfair banned Edge from going to the Winners/Homesense in Prince George and any Save-On-Foods stores or parking lots in BC.
