No bail in stolen credit card case

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This article was published 29/09/2023 (1090 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Possessing and using stolen credit cards is not typically a reason for someone to be denied bail, but for one Brandonite who is accused of those offences, a judge decided that keeping him behind bars was in the public interest.

Sean Lepine, who is facing multiple charges for possessing property obtained by crime and using stolen credit cards and debit cards, was denied bail in court on Thursday.

“The proclivity of individuals to be involved in possessing stolen property and to using stolen credit cards shortly after they’ve been stolen is something that occurs too often in this community,” Judge John Combs said, siding with the Crown, who opposed Lepine’s release. “And it needs to be deterred.”

An articling student for the Crown, Nikki Boggs, read the evidence for the charges in court. None of the charges against Lepine has been proven in court and he remains innocent until proven guilty.

On Oct. 26, 2022, a woman called BPS to report that her vehicle had been broken into the night before and that her debit card had been stolen and used to make purchases. Four different transactions were made on the card, totalling around $186. Video surveillance was used to identify the man.

This year, in April, a couple reported a break and enter to their attached garage. A wallet and purse were stolen from the vehicles in the garage and their credit cards were used to make a number of purchases. Video surveillance was again used to identify the man.

The man would come to police attention again, this time in September when police arrested him for allegedly breaching his curfew. During a search after his arrest, police found numerous pieces of ID on him that belonged to other people, including the debit card of a woman who filed a police report claiming that her ID and debit card had been stolen and fraudulently used at 7-Eleven.

Finally, the most recent allegation that brought the man into custody, was on Sunday, when police stopped a taxi after recognizing him in the back seat. Police noticed a black bag beside the man and asked if they could search it.

Inside the bag, officers found financial cards with names on them that were different than the accused.

Boggs cited Lepine’s criminal record, which includes several convictions involving the fraudulent use of credit cards.

Lepine’s defence lawyer, Andrew Synyshyn, provided more context to the Sept. 24 arrest of his client, which he said involved six police officers swarming the cab. The defence lawyer called the activity by the police, concerning, and that his client felt pressured to let them search his bag.

Synyshyn said that according to the notes of one of the officers, the officer was aware that Lepine had warrants in the past and wanted to check.

“And so as a result, he basically pulled over a civilian for no good reason, with no knowledge of warrants, no indication of [Lepine] being involved in a criminal offence,” Synyshyn said, calling the pulling over of the cab a “fishing expedition” by police.

The defence lawyer presented a bail plan that would have his client living at his brother’s apartment in Brandon.

Combs acknowledged the potential issues with the search and noted that offences like fraudulent use of credit cards aren’t usually the kind of offences that pose risks to the public and require someone to be kept behind bars.

However, he noted that Lepine is facing multiple sets of charges related to stolen property and continues to rack up related charges.

“This is one of those instances where I’m not satisfied that Mr. Lepine is capable of complying with court-ordered conditions, for whatever reason, and while the offences themselves are not the type that typically result in someone being denied bail, the interest of the public needs to be protected,” the judge said, denying Lepine bail.

Lepine’s charges will next appear in court on Oct. 5.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com

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