[MSN] Canada. Drugs drove pair to steal whale teeth from Karlsen whale plant in New Harbour, which is now a whaling museum.

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Drugs drove pair to steal whale teeth

By BEVERLEY WARE South Shore Bureau

BRIDGEWATER — A Lunenburg County man and woman struggling with cocaine addiction were sentenced Wednesday for stealing close to a thousand whale teeth and more than a dozen whale eardrums, then selling them to local antique dealers.

Boyd Gordon Bristol, 40, was sentenced to four months of house arrest that will be followed by two years on probation, while his partner, Kathleen Mattatall, 47, was handed a suspended sentence and placed on probation for a year.

The Clearland pair faced a series of charges following two break-ins last year into the Karlsen whale plant in New Harbour, which is now a whaling museum.

Crown attorney Paul Scovil said the total value of all the items stolen, which included equipment used on the vessels, topped $59,000, though most of it was recovered. Mr. Scovil said the items were not only important to the museum but represent part of the history of the community.

The first break-in was in June 2006 and included the theft of furniture, survival suits and kayaks. Mr. Scovil said Mr. Bristol sold some of those items to an unwitting antique shop in Dayspring.

The second break-in was last September, when 940 whale teeth and 15 eardrums were taken, along with such items as rope-throwing guns, a telescopic lens and a seismic recorder.

The owner of an antique shop in Lunenburg bought some of those items.

Mr. Bristol also pleaded guilty to breaking into the Lunenburg Yacht Club on Hermans Island on Aug. 21, 2006. A Lunenburg RCMP officer spotted him jumping out the kitchen window and arrested him after a short chase. The officer found the yacht club’s cash register on the front seat of Mr. Bristol’s vehicle, along with 24 bottles of beer. A garbage can was also filled with bottles of liquor.

In addition, Mr. Bristol was sentenced for failing to show up for a couple of court appearances, breaking into a New Ross cottage and possessing a stolen Isuzu Trooper and a bag containing several grams of cocaine.

He has a criminal record that includes two convictions for assault causing bodily harm and impaired driving. A presentence report shows he has a problem with cocaine, heroine, barbiturates and alcohol.

Defence lawyer Barry Whynot said Mr. Bristol got hooked on cocaine after becoming addicted to prescription painkillers he took to treat a neck injury. He said his client has been clean for three months and has gained back the 45 pounds he lost.

"Frankly, he looks like a different person from the man I first met in cells," Mr. Whynot said.

Kathy Benton said her client, Ms. Mattatall, had a horrific childhood and an abusive 10-year marriage, then her second husband died of a lung disease. She lost everything, including her home, after becoming addicted to crack cocaine.

Both Mr. Bristol and Ms. Mattatall have been ordered to get assessment and counselling for their addictions while on probation.

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