A 45-year-old man has been banned from Lululemon and London Drugs and sentenced to one day in jail plus 12 months of probation for a shoplifting “spree” in Burnaby, Vancouver and Richmond.
“I’m sure the people at Lululemon have become tired of dealing with you,” B.C. provincial court Judge Donna Senniw told John Adam Paul Dunseith during his sentencing in Vancouver Thursday.
Dunseith had pleaded guilty to four counts of theft under $5,000 and two counts of breaching release orders.
He had also been charged with two other thefts at the Metrotown Luluemon, but those charges were stayed along with three other breach charges.
The incidents took place between Feb. 13, 2024 to Oct. 28, 2024 at Lululemon stores in Burnaby, Vancouver and Richmond and a London Drugs store in Burnaby, according to agreed facts presented by Crown prosecutor Ellen Bolger.
In all, Dunseith admitted to stealing more than $8,250 in merchandise from Lululemon stores, about $5,315 of which was recovered.
The $1,043 in merchandise he stole from the Burnaby London Drugs was also recovered.
At one Vancouver Lululemon – after the court had already banned him from the stores – he concealed $3,052 worth of merchandise but never left the store, according to Bolger.
In a joint sentencing submission, she and defence lawyer Guillaume Garih both called for Dunseith to be sentenced to 25 days he had already served in jail and 12 months of probation.
Bolger said Dunseith had a criminal record, but it was dated – a 1997 conviction for breaking and entering.
Garih said Dunseith had “fallen on very hard times” in recent years.
After 25 years as a heavy equipment operator, he is on disability because of chronic pain and struggles with substance abuse and depression because of a recent separation from his wife and children.
Senniw accepted the joint submission, but "for ease" of calculation sentenced him to one day in jail and ordered his record to reflect the 25 real days he has served in jail with enhanced credit for 38 days.
Senniw said Dunseith's case was somewhat unique.
"I have to say these are fairly unusual circumstances for a man of your age to, with essentially no criminal record, to come before the court with basically a spree of offences that appear to be related to a difficulty with substance abuse," she said.
She noted Dunseith had an "excellent" employment history and encouraged him to get retrained and get back to work.
During his probation, Dunseith will be banned from all Lululemon and London Drugs stores and he is required to get counselling for mental health and substance abuse as directed by his probation officer.
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