A man who pleaded guilty last month in the case of the theft of bronze plaques from the New Brunswick Museum Collections and Research Centre in Saint John has been sentenced to time behind bars.
41-year-old Bruce Marion has received a sentenced of two years less a day in provincial jail for possession of commemorative plaques which are the property of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada with a value exceeding $5000.
The judge agreed to this joint submission from the Crown and defence. The Crown said there was need for a “stiffer” penalty, given Marion’s criminal record, arguing that he hasn’t learned from past sentences.
Marion did address the court during the sentencing hearing saying that he wasn’t thinking along historical lines, he was just trying to put a roof over his family’s head. The judge responsed to this by saying that he understood the desire to provide for your family, but that the way Marion went about it was unacceptable.
He said that Marion’s criminal record is abysmal, in the sense that they’re all property related offenses and that a significant loss has occured to the museum and the community at large.
The large bronze plaques that were taken were put on the museum to recognize people important to the history of New Brunswick and Canada.
