Steven Alphonse, the man who spent four years on the run after escaping from prison and was captured last weekend, has received a two-year sentence for possession of a firearm without a valid license
He appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to possession of firearm and ammunition without a valid license, possession of marijuana and possession with intent to supply marijuana.
The gun, a 9-millimeter, was found at the home of Janella Joseph of Mahaut, who is reported to be Alphonse’s girlfriend.
Alphonse admitted to the police the gun belonged to him.
The prosecution did not charge Joseph with any offense.
The charge of escaping prison was not read to Alphonse since the prosecution is said to be seeking further legal advice on the matter.
His attorney, Wayne Norde, asked the court to be lenient on Alphonse since the gun was never fired and he was remorseful for his action.
He said Alphonse cooperated with the police since being captured, never gave any problems and asked that a fine be imposed instead of a custodial sentence.
But magistrate Michael Bruney said based on Alphonse’s situation, a fine cannot be imposed
In addition to the two years for the possession of a firearm, Alphonse was sentence to 15 months in prison possession of ammunition.
He also received two months for possession of marijuana.
Alphonse was serving a 40-year prison sentence for murder when he escaped in 2010.
He was arrested in Rosalie while driving a white car on September 6.
The marijuana and one round of 9-milimeter ammunition was found in the car.
Alphonse, 41, is expected back in court on September 22, when a determination will be made on the escape from prison charge.
Thank you LORD for hearing our parys, you have anwered this one and am sure that you will answer others…
STEVE we love you and we are waiting ti see you soon this time with no where to run and no one to hide from.
keep GOD close!!
Yes yes i can’t wait to see my bro out soon , i will be waithing out side for u bro we love u JAH merci merci
i mean come on dominicans even if
steven had escaped he never hurt anyone again nd never herd anything bad about him. i mean come on, people make mistakes in
life bt they do change after a while so as of before nd now he could be completely different nd can maybe be a better person. put u all selves in his position nd think of if that was u how would u feel nd if u would like to spend 40 years in jail. everyone should be treated the same way even if he did wrong. so i need u all to think bc my point of view is that man needs mercy, need to be forgiven nd set free!
Janella Joseph must have known that her man was an escapee and she kept hiding him and providing him with everything including herself and no charge for her. She must get a prison sentence for aiding and abating.
I agree with you 100%. Only in DA.
I tell you, we not serious. we going nowhere real fast.
Its good they caught him because he may have just gotten the bullet to use the gun. he cannot work because he’s a criminal and forty years is a life sentence. They take away hanging… which/capital punishment, which is the best thing to have in a small country, you could count the amount of murders per year in Dominica on one hand when we had capital punishment. At this point the people running the prison should have programs for people who have such long sentences to effectively contribute selflessly to society. Forgiveness does not come from apologies it comes from your actions . They should educate prisoners not just leave them to rot… its easy to say they deserve it because there are some evil people out there yet we must be careful… idle hands!
The system in Dominica is just horrible. Gov’t is just encouraging foolishness and covering up for their friends? Whnwill we see justice for GON Emmanuel. Change is definitely must, otherwise Dominica fini bat.
What a shame asking to be lenient on a murder escapee what next. I wondering if these people have sisters and daughters. He should be sent away and throw the keys.
The Lawyer maybe could ask for bail while awaiting the next charge.The way things are going,just saying that he should be allowed to continue on his way, he was going to weed his weed.
get a life and get the real story stupid ppl my cuz aint no criminal
Yes cuzz they have no idea just blablabla if he was that benladine is not herbs they would capture him with but their mother’s head in a bag !
They should charge the girlfriend to. Aiding and abetting an escaped prisoner.
you eager to out people in prison… what if it was you?
All this debate and waste of time and money would have been avoided if he had been given the death sentence. This was a terrible crime and he is not being punished enough. For all those who are saying ‘leave the man, jail is not for him’ etc.. you are unbelievable. No thought to the victim and family. He should have been given the correct punishment, death by hanging, period.
Jail is a luxury for murderers like him with perks: 3 meals daily at our expense, (he gets to choose), TV, training for a skill…in case the system lets him go before the 40 years like Zeye,(we saw what happened), calypso performance at carnival and the list goes on. I wonder who is paying the lawyer with no conscience… is this pro bono? and on whose property he was working the day he escaped.. Time to use the death sentence, if not, take it off the law books. Criminals are having a good time.
For your information, he WAS originally sentenced to death but this was commuted to 40 years in prison.
Please, read the article properly. The round was in his car, whether in a magazine or not it does not say, but the actual gun was miles away at his girlfriend’s home.
The girlfriend should be charged for harbouring a fugitive. She knows fully well that he is an escapee.. Man law enforcement in Dominica is just laughable.
well well well, you mean to tell me that this man was in Dominica for all those time and no one knew him? rediculous, and also the girlfriend who was keeping him from police was not charged, again well well well, and the nonsence lawyer are saying to be linient with him , well well well well again i must say, let me tell you something i can never come to that island, every one in the law business are just stupid
hahaha…………Is this lawyer serious? Wow no wonder ………………………..
I say send him straight to jail no waisting the court time and resources. This man is a convicted murderer that was already in jail and escape. What is that lawyer thinking even asking for the court to go easy on this man. Have they forgotten he killed already? I hope the judge gives him another 40 years for being on the run all this time.
The man has asked for forgiveness for what he did, he has done at list some time unlike others who gets away totally with murder, he was not frightening anyone and has never brothered anyone since he escaped
He was young people make mistakes and his actions were not of his own there was more to it who knows knows (some things a better left unsaid) give him a chance. he has asked for forgiveness…………
sut ou ka palay, you was there too probably
Even if he asks for forgiveness doesn’t mean he should not pay for his crime. And what makes it worse he finds himself right back breaking the law again. Marijuana and guns….. smh
you must be the girlfriend that they mentioned.
Thanks much sir god bless you
Thanks much sir
Can you imagine!!!! A man who the police said was so dangerous…all in the open driving car, having girlfriend, smoking weed and having GUN!!!!….all in the open..four years later…..wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww….wow…DANGEROUS EH!!.
I would never have thought this man was in DA..going on his merry way. And who is that Girlfriend?? My Gosh
Me i was ok! All u are really dominicans
I am enjoying the comedy. He escaped once, he went to Guada, they still put him back to work outside, he escape again, he actually have someone asking the court to be lenient because he had not fired the gun *yet*? let’s hope they have the common sense this time not to let him work outside the prison because this time I will back him in escaping.
The police is right to label him as dangerous. But DNO there is a conflict of reporting on the story. Firstly it is said that the gun, a 9-millimeter, was found at the home of Janella Joseph of Mahaut, who is reported to be Alphonse’s girlfriend, then it is later reported that he was arrested in Rosalie while driving a white car on September 6. The marijuana and one round of 9-milimeter ammunition was found in the car. Could you clarify the story. By the way, what ever happened to the charge of harbouring criminals and escaped convicts!!!!!
ADMIN: The gun was found at the house in Mahaut and a round of ammunition was found in the car he was arrested in. What is the confusion?
Yeah, where’s the confusion?
Wow!!!! This surely is an indication of how ‘lawless’ our country has become. If as is suggested by one of the previous contributors, ‘the gentleman has always been seen openly on the market area’, then this added with the fact that he was captured driving a vehicle in solid evidence that the guy has been hanging around FREELY and this is just amazing!! How is it that such a person convicted of murder and so easily recognizable, is able to freely live among the community with no challenge whatsoever?? Amazing……thank God he was arrested finally though. Our country needs help………
No, thank the cops. Dominica does not need help, the people do!
I would just like to know where this man have been all that time. have he been in Dominica all that time. did not the cops know where to locate him. the girlfriend was not charged with any offence is not harboring a criminal an offence. is the lawyer in his right state of mind he is asking that the man not been sent to prison.
man lets get real
That woman should be arrested for aiding and abetting a criminal.. r u serious???????
#dropchargesforwhat
and its the way he murdered the child
I did not deserve what you did to me Steve.
A convicted murderer is caught with a gun whilst he is on the run from prison, his legal counsel Asks the court to be lenient with him.
A young village council clerk allegedly steals from destitute pensioners from her village, her case is still in abeyance.
A man steals a few mangoes from a neighbour’s yard and he is dragged before the courts and sentenced pronto!
Wow! The Dominican courts need to review their priorities.
It is about time that we amend the Firearms Act thereby making provision for a mandatory minimum sentence where the trial magistrate of judge is not allowed to use his discretion. Firearms kill. If the Act is amending, i can guaranty you that there will be a marked decrease in firearm related offenses.
Firearms don’t kill, people do. Why don’t we go ahead and ban knives, cutlasses, fire, razors and the likes. Remember the dude who cut to pieces the gay guy up North, a while back, for just looking at him funny? He used a fre@king cutlass, let’s get rid of them as well! Make some sense, will you?
Murder convict and escapee gets two years. . . This is what the headline should read.
OK! How many years did he serve in prison prior to escaping?
Norde, you are something else to ask for leniency for this convicted murderer and escapee, saying, he cooperated with the police; never gave any trouble; the gun was never fired and he was remorseful. For the latter, really?
You asked the Court to fine him rather than sentencing him. Fine? A murder convict who escaped? You are joking! Why a fine and for what? What will this prove? Where will he get the money from? The man escaped from prison. Why should the Court fine him? He deserves additional time in prison.
You made me shake my head and laugh in disgust, sarcastically. You are referring to a convicted murderer who escaped prison. It was not the first time. Well, you are being paid for defending him but you should never have made that statement. This man is a convicted murderer who escaped from prison. Are you intelligent?
He had a gun. What was his reason for having it? If someone had crossed his path wrongly would he not have used it? Surely, it was not to catch wild animals. I believe it was only a matter of time, if the Police did not catch him that he would have used it. The police was fortunate that he did not use the gun on them.
As for the woman, was she aware that he was a convicted murderer who escaped? Was she questioned about that? If it can be proven positively, she should be charged for harboring him and a prison sentence should be her lot.
you must be living in the united states, because i agree with you 100%
Leave de man alone go eassy on him ok since de man oitside he never did any thing bad ok so go easy is because you all do not know the man prison is not the place for him ok
Thanks my friend ,
Sorry i posted on the wrong person comment.when I said dirty you are !
The law makes provisions for MR to get another 15 years just for acquiring the gun in the 1st place and they give him a slap on the risk?!?!
The Mahaut police don’t do their job as usual because this man has always been seen openly on the market area. As usual they sit in the hotel and drive about using tax payers money with the vehicle for their personnel use. Mr Commissioner you need to fix these things and identify serious policemen that are willing to serve and protect in the out station. Drug dealers are like the friend of the police in Mahaut, they pass every day by the credit union, shemen coway and morne Zion area and they do nothing. The smallest child in the village can tell you all who the drug dealers are and the police sit and drink and entertain them in some instances.
Mr. Parlrep you are my boy and you use to be a police and even you too all fete mahaut walking proudly with them what example are you setting to the younger generation. When you appear to be an encourager of those things even giving them duty free.
Its only when it reaches home in one way or another we all will stay in mahaut and say if we knew.
Parlrep you appear to be the best in our books all the work that’s done but you need to put a stop to those drug pushers they destroying mahaut.
I will have to agree with you here. My question is how can it take that long to arrest an escapee in Dominica. It took less time to get Toomba and Pokocion who were constantly on the run and hiding in the mountains. The police service in Dominica today are a joke. They are all more concerned about promotion than upholding the law of the land.
This is why they will not arrest them. They are too friendly and comfy with them. It is also another reason why some want marijuana legalized. They know those who ingest them and traffic in them. They also are recipients of some of that money. They themselves also ingest it. As the saying, it is a vicious circle.
first blame is on the mahaut police, what about the girl friend. you mean she did not know he cut of a 16 year old girl head in gleau gommier…
it see money can buy everyone that should be law abiding
You have said it all ….thanks .Either the gov’t employ police-tourists or police-for-service.Thie time is up because if an ordinary man must work almost 3 hours to buy a bread and a beer in dominica ,why employ police-tourist for them to get a higher wage than the hard working man?
These courts are ridiculous!
I am ashamed of norde to ask the court to be lenient with him. The man is a convicted murder with the possession of a gun, who knows what he would of do with it. Norde , God awaits you.
What was said about lawyers? DNO will not post what I heard about them. You probably know.