SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The theft of a roasted barbecue chicken from a downtown grocery store, along with other crimes, has resulted in a six-month jail sentence for a 56-year-old man.

Frederick Chinna, from Fort Good Hope, was sentenced in territorial court on Friday for theft, mischief and breach of an undertaking.

Crown prosecutor Jeannie Wynne-Edwards told the court that Chinna has 38 previous convictions since 1974 - 15 of these were for failing to abide by court probation orders and four were for thefts dating back to 1977.

On Oct. 4 Chinna stole the chicken meat and two oranges from the Extra Foods grocery store on 50 Avenue. The store manager called the RCMP and then followed Chinna on foot. The police found and arrested Chinna near the Yellowknife Salvation Army a short while later.

Wynne-Edwards said officers determined he was intoxicated at the time he was arrested. Chinna was released but ordered to stay away from the store. Yet he was spotted by the store manager in Extra Foods two days later and arrested again after the manager called police.

On Sept. 15 he had also been arrested for stealing a 750-ml bottle of vodka from the Yellowknife Liquor Store on 49 Street.

The two mischief charges related to two incidents where he entered the residences of people who knew him, on Dec. 13, 2009, and again on Jan. 9, 2010, causing a disturbance.

"Women and children were frightened," said Wynne-Edwards.

The Crown recommended a jail sentence in the range of six to eight months. "It appears he's not getting the message," she said.

Defence attorney Hugh Latimer told the court his client makes his living as a hunter and trapper, and was "more of a nuisance than anything else when he gets drinking."

Chinna told the court he was sorry for what he's done and he wants to get help for his drinking problem and "get sober."

After he spoke, Judge Bernadette Schmaltz agreed with Latimer's assessment that the charges were generally for "nuisance offences."

Chinna also received one year of probation, which, upon his release from jail, will require him to keep the peace and be of good behaviour, report to his probation officer and take any counselling as ordered.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.