Conditional sentence for break, enter, theft

STELLARTON - A man who broke into a vacant Stellarton home to steal copper pipe in order to raise money for booze has received a 15-month conditional sentence.
George Harold Falt, 53, was caught by Stellarton police as he was exiting a George Street home, wearing work gloves and carrying a bag with clearly-visible pieces of copper pipe sticking out the top.
Falt, who struggles with alcohol issues and has been out of work since Scotia Recycling was destroyed by fire, later admitted that he took the copper pipes to get money for alcohol and cigarettes.
Ten pipes were broken off in the home, as well as some PVC pipes. Police had to shut off the water to the home because it was pouring in "uncontrollably" through one of the broken pipes.
Judge Theodore Tax heard the facts of the case last month, but reserved his decision until Wednesday to give himself time to consider the sentence. Crown attorney Bill Gorman had pushed for six to eight months of jail time because the maximum sentence for break and enter with intent, as set out by Parliament, is life in prison. Most often, Nova Scotia courts tended to impose sentences around 30 months in length for this type of crime.
Defence attorney Doug Lloy instead argued for a conditional sentence, saying that Falt believed the house abandoned and had no intent of injuring anyone.
Tax announced Wednesday that Falt would receive the 15 months of house arrest, followed by six months of probation.