U.K. men who came to Southwestern Ontario for ‘crime tourism’ deported

19, 2024. (Terry Bridge/The Sarnia Observer)

Sarnia police first said the duo was arrested Dec.

9 after a woman on Franklin Avenue called them about an attempted fraud that involved eavestrough cleaning that wasn't actually done and a quote for repairs that weren't needed. The pair had U.K. passports on them[4] and spoke with accents, but investigators had questions about the validity of the documents and police released their mug shots to see if the public could help uncover their true identities. Court records said their names were Wall and Myers and they were charged in Sarnia with attempted fraud, fraudulently identifying themselves for monetary gain, and obstructing police, along with one additional count of theft in Hamilton.

After border officials confirmed that's who they were, the pair was brought handcuffed into a Sarnia courtroom Thursday, where they pleaded guilty to fraudulently identifying themselves for monetary gain and theft. Homes in London

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Article content Their sentence was time-served, deportation, and a ban on returning to Canada. Assistant Crown attorney Sarah Carmody told the judge they intended to defraud and steal from Canadian citizens and jail was needed to send a message.

"That Canada doesn't tolerate those who come here for crime tourism," she said. With five uniformed border officers sitting in the gallery waiting to take custody of them, both men apologized, but added they were traumatized by this experience and were looking forward to being deported. "I won't be going on any more planes ever again," Myers said.

"I'll never go on holiday again. I'll never leave the U.K. as long as I live," Wall said. "If you're happy to be deported I can assure you that that feeling is felt by the citizens of Sarnia," Kowalyshyn said, calling what they did deplorable.

The court heard after arresting the men on Dec.

9 following the Franklin Avenue woman's complaint, Sarnia police spoke to several neighbours who said Wall and Myers approached them and tried to solicit work. One person said they posed as City of Sarnia employees and another said they claimed to be from a company called A1 Concrete and gave a quote for £2,500. Advertisement 4

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"There were no tools found in the truck that would be able to help facilitate the work in which they were quoting," Carmody said. But no one has come forward to police as of Thursday saying they were out any money, she said. The truck they were operating out of was bought legitimately from a man in Hamilton Dec.

7, but they stole his licence plates.