A serial thief is facing more time in jail after pleading guilty to a massive shopping list of charges including breaking and entering, mail theft and identity theft.
During a sentencing hearing Tuesday for Kristopher Richard Mino, Richmond Provincial Court heard how he had broken into the lobby of a number of condo towers in 2020 and 2021.
Among the buildings he broke into were 7031 Blundell Road, near Gilbert Road, and the Centre Pointe condominium complex on 8811 to 8871 Lansdowne Road, near Garden City Lands.
At one point, police managed to track him when he stole a piece of mail that the RCMP and Canada Post had baited in an attempt to catch mail thieves, until he disposed of the bait mail.
Mino was initially charged with a total of 44 counts.
Crown counsel Allison De Smet told the court that there were several aggravating factors to be considered for Mino’s sentence, including the number of offences, the fact that the offences were “deliberate and planned,” and Mino’s previous convictions for mail theft.
However, De Smet noted that, in Mino’s pre-sentence report, he showed “self-awareness” and acknowledged that the primary contributing factor to his offences was “substance misuse.”
Both Crown and defence acknowledged that Mino’s early guilty plea was a mitigating factor, and De Smet added that Mino had completed “several programs” while he was in custody.
Defence also told the court of Mino’s plans to attend a reputable treatment centre.
When Mino was asked if he wanted to address the court, he said he was sorry for what he did.
“My goal is to have my child back in my life and live a life like you guys do,” he said, adding that he wanted to “stay focused on my recovery.”
“I’m sick to my stomach thinking that I could do something like that,” he added.
Judge Derek Mah adjourned the sentencing to Friday, July 22.
