A 41-year-old man has been sentenced to 70 days in jail and 12 months of probation for a string of robberies at a Burnaby Sunglass Hut and other high-end retail thefts in the Lower Mainland.

Darryl John Dolan appeared in Vancouver provincial court on Friday and pleaded guilty to flights this year at Metrotown Sunglass Hut and Aritzia, and the Coquitlam Center LensCrafters.

He had also been accused of stealing approximately $12,000 worth of clothing from Petit Pont in Vancouver on February 1, but that charge was stayed because there were possible problems identifying Dolan from security video in that case , according to the agreed facts presented to the court by the Crown. prosecutor Michael Fox.

During the robbery in Aritzia on January 31, Dolan stole five jackets worth just over $1,300.

He stole 10 pairs of sunglasses from LensCrafters on June 4, worth about $2,000.

And between Sept. 8 and 17, he went on a theft spree at the Metrotown Sunglass Hut, stuffing more than $5,000 worth of sunglasses into a reusable bag in each incident, Fox said.

These thefts totaled more than $56,000, according to police.

In all but one of the robberies, Dolan was not caught in the act but later identified on surveillance video.

However, at Coquitlam LensCrafters, staff intercepted him before he could leave.

“They got into a fight and during that struggle some sunglasses fell to the ground and were damaged,” Fox said.

Dolan was arrested at the scene and charged with theft and mischief for the broken sunglasses, but the mischief charge was stayed after Friday’s hearing.

Fox said Dolan has a history of theft convictions from 2022, but described his most recent crimes as a “step forward.”

“I’m not sure I’d say they’re sophisticated, but they certainly seem to be targeting higher value items,” Fox said.

Fox said Dolan should serve an actual jail term of between 70 and 90 days, minus 55 days of credit for time served, followed by 12 months of probation.

Fox said he would have agreed with defense attorney Thomas Fung that a community sentence might have been appropriate if there had been a recovery center bed waiting for Dolan, but Dolan didn’t want to get well because he “doesn’t do it.” I don’t think it will help him,” according to Fung.

Fung asked for a suspended sentence followed by probation or prison time already served.

Dolan, a trained carpenter and roofer who grew up in Mission, is addicted to crack and stole to support himself, according to Fung.

“The stolen items, obviously, were either intended to be resold on the street or – I’m guessing and he won’t confirm this – but I suspect he got involved with a group of people where he may have been sent to bring back certain items, which are easily marketable,” Fung said.

Judge Dawn Boblin of the British Columbia Provincial Court ruled that a community sentence was not appropriate in this case.

She noted that Dolan had been on probation during all but one of the robberies.

Boblin also noted the number of thefts, the value of the stolen merchandise and the fact that much of it was never recovered.

She sentenced Dolan to 70 days in jail, less 55 days credit for time served and 12 months of probation.

During his probation, he will be banned from all Aritzia, Sunglass Hut and LensCrafters stores in British Columbia as well as the Petit Pont store in Vancouver.

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