A man who flew into a rage during an argument with his own sister and stabbed his two nieces for no apparent reason has been given a non-custodial sentence instead of being imprisoned.
Jones Town resident Michael Williams was sentenced to 12 month s imprisonment after pleading guilty to two counts of wounding with intent in the Kington and St Andrew Parish Court recently.
However, Chief Parish Judge Chester Crooks suspended the sentence after one of the victims begged him to not send Williams to jail.
Williams pleaded guilty to using a ratchet knife to cut and stab the women on January 29 during an argument with their aunt.
She had every reason to seek justice: The trauma of being the victim of a crime, plus being deprived of her property.
Yet, this complainant decided to show sympathy to the man accused of stealing her two cell phones and a Samsung Tablet. I received some stuff and I come to understand that him not so good in the head so I want to drop the case, the complainant told the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court last week.
Her kind gesture came just moments after Joel Powell pleaded not guilty to the allegations against him.
For his part, Powell told Chief Parish Judge Chester Crooks that he was on medication due to a mental condition.
Former Education Minister and Senator Ruel Reid to stand trial for fraud. (Photo: JIS)
Chief Parish Judge Chester Crooks has ruled that the fraud case involving former Education Minister Ruel Reid and his co-accused is properly before the court and should proceed to trial in due course.
As a result of Crooks’ ruling in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court today, the matter was set for case management on July 27.
Hugh Wildman had previously argued before Crooks that the case against ex-Senator Reid and Fritz Pinnock, president of the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU), should be thrown out.
Wildman’s ground for the application was that his clients were arrested by officers of the Financial Investigations Division (FID), which, he argued, has no jurisdiction to do.
Ruel Reid, his wife Sharen, their daughter Sharelle, Professor Fritz Pinnock and Brown’s Town Division Councillor Kim Brown Lawrence are facing corruption charges in relation to the CMU affair.
Former Education Minister Ruel Reid, Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) President Professor Fritz Pinnock and their three co-accused are to hear on February 4 whether their fraud case will continue. At that time, Chief Parish Judge Chester Crooks will be ruling on a point raised by defence attorney Hugh Wildman. Wildman has maintained that officers from the Financial Investigation Division had no authority in law to arrest or bring charges against the accused.