Man sentenced to prison for multiple break-ins
By Shurtz, Delon on February 7, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
Lethbridge Herald
A Lethbridge man who, among numerous other crimes, stole his mother’s credit card while visiting her in the hospital one Christmas Eve, has been sent to prison.
Kazmier Victor Banbur, 48, was sentenced Wednesday in Lethbridge provincial court to nearly nine years in a federal penitentiary, and prohibited from possessing weapons for the rest of his life.
Banbur pleaded guilty last June to 24 offences, 16 of which were residential break-ins. His offences also included trespassing at night, mischief, trafficking a credit card, and being disguised while committing an indictable offence.
During sentencing Wednesday, Judge Derek Redman acknowledged Banbur’s difficult life, including being sexually assaulted by a priest, but Redman also noted Banbur has 77 previous convictions for break-ins and his offences have “shattering” consequences on the people whose lives he has impacted. Many residents were also home at the time of Banbur’s break-ins.
According to an agreed statement of facts submitted to court at the time of his guilty plea, Banbur stole his mother’s credit card and used it to obtain cash and cigarettes totalling $2,255. The value of items and cash Banbur stole during all of the break-ins totalled nearly $18,000 CAD and nearly $1,000 US, and he caused more than $14,000 in damage.
In many of the residential break-ins, Banbur gained access by breaking through a back door or basement window. An object he found nearby was often used to break the glass, and once inside Banbur targeted jewelry and money, while ignoring electronics. Many residences in the same area were broken into on the same dates, and most of the offences occurred near Banbur’s own northside home.
Police arrested Banbur Jan. 23, 2019, and during an interview he admitted nearly all of the offences with which he is charged. He admitted he committed the offences to fuel a drug addiction; he traded some of the jewelry he stole for drugs, and sold other jewelry so he could buy drugs and cigarettes.
However, those admissions, as well as his guilty plea, are the only mitigating factors in he case, among a host of aggravating factors, Redman pointed out.
Police searched Banbur’s home in the 1400 block of 20 Street North and seized clothing he was wearing when seen on video surveillance, and boots with a tread pattern matching tracks left in the snow at residences where he committed some of the offences.
During one of the break-ins to a home, Banbur stole $1,700 from the owner’s bedroom while she slept.
Although Banbur pleaded guilty to the offences several months ago, sentencing was adjourned to allow time for the preparation of a pre-sentence report and psychological risk assessment. And even though he was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison – the Crown had recommended 10 years – he was given credit for the time he spent in pre-trial custody, reducing his sentence by 18 months. He must also submit a sample of his DNA for the National DNA Databank.
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