BARBARA GAYLE, Star Writer

A chef who confessed in court that he had a drinking problem was sentenced by Resident Magistrate Sheron Barnes to three years' imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to robbery with aggravation.

"It seems I have a drinking problem," said 33-year-old Garnett Campbell, before he was sentenced recently in the Whithorn Resident Magistrate's Court, Westmoreland.

Campbell was charged with three counts of robbery with aggravation, unlawful wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He pleaded guilty to all.

Clerk of the courts, Sasha Boot, outlined a robbery spree which began on July 20 in Whithorn. Campbell, armed with a machete and a knife, held up two young women at 9 p.m. and robbed them of an Alcatel phone valued at $20,000. In the process, he used the machete to chop one on her finger. He slapped the other woman on the neck and hands causing swelling and pain.

woman's throat

He was sentenced to 12 months for the robbery and six months' imprisonment each on the wounding and asssult charges. The sentences are to run concurrently.

The following day, Campbell held a machete at a woman's throat and demanded her Galaxy S3 phone valued at $44,000. For that he was sentenced 12 months' imprisonment.

Boot said Campbell made a third strike at 2 a.m. on November 2. This time, he held up a bus driver who had parked his disabled bus along the road awaiting assistance. Campbell poked a knife in the man's side and relieved him of $8,000 he had in his pocket. The driver said he new Campbell and was very surprised by his actions. Campbell was also sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment for that.

None of the stolen items were recovered. Police nabbed Campbell, a father of five from Shrewsbury, Westmoreland, on November 9. He said he was 'over his head' as he had been drinking.

The 12-month sentences are to run consecutively so Campbell will serve three years.