TORONTO – A Toronto shopkeeper who was charged after a thief stole plants from his store is due back in court Tuesday.
While David Chen goes before a judge for the second week of his trial — the man convicted of stealing the plants is back in jail.
Police say Anthony Bennett, who has 43 convictions, was charged Friday with five more counts of theft.
The arrest came just days after Bennett took the stand as the Crown’s star witness in Chen’s trial.
Chen and two store employees were charged with assault and forcible confinement for allegedly detaining Bennett in 2009 after he stole flowers from Chen’s store.
The Crown maintains the grocers used excessive force, and that Bennett had not been caught in a criminal act when the citizen’s arrest was made.
According to the law, a citizen’s arrest can only be made when someone is caught red-handed.
Bennett has admitted he was stealing from Chen, but testified last week he believed he was the victim.
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