A 52-year-old woman will be spared jail after attempting to steal a safe from a Sahali home — a crime she later told police was meant to help her grandchildren.
Brenda Bradford pleaded guilty to one count of theft in connection to the Dec. 13, 2015, incident.
Crown prosecutor Oliver Potestio said occupants of a basement suite on Strathcona Terrace came home to witness a safe from upstairs sitting outside the front door on a dolly and a truck in the driveway. They were able to get a partial licence-plate number from the fleeing vehicle and contacted police.
Bradford was later arrested.
Police matched her shoes to footprints found outside the home.
Potestio said Bradford told police she had heard about the safe from an acquaintance who had earlier broken into the home.
Bradford brought a dolly along to wheel out the safe, what Potestio said showed an element of planning to the crime.
“It was motivated by a desire to help her grandchildren,” Potestio said.
Bradford is a former prolific offender who has struggled with drug abuse. She did not start using hard drugs until she was in her 30s.
Defence lawyer Michelle Stanford said Bradford is now on a Suboxone program. The drug blocks the effects of opioids, including feelings of well-being.
“She’s come a long way to reducing her drug use,” Stanford said.
Provincial court judge Len Marchand agreed with a joint sentencing submission. Bradford will serve a 12-month conditional sentence with an evening curfew, followed by a year of probation.
