(DNO) A 38-year-old River Street man who has already been convicted on 63 offenses was sentenced to spend over two years in jail after he pleaded guilty to nine more charges before Magistrate Tiyani Bheanzin last week.
Derrick Jno Baptiste was apprehended by a police officer at the Roseau Market when he attempted to cut the neck of the security guard with a cutlass during an altercation.
According to the facts presented by the police prosecutor, Sergeant t Lawrence was doing his weekly shopping when he heard a scream and went to investigate. He then saw the defendant with a cutlass attempting to cut the neck of the security guard and went to assist.
Jno Baptiste tried to escape but was later subdued; but not without beating Sargeant Lawrence and tearing his trousers.
The defendant was charged with resisting arrest, escaping police custody, threats, carrying an offensive weapon, battery on the security guard, battery on police, intimidation, malicious damage and obstruction.
According to the charge, Jno Baptiste had threatened the security guard by saying,” I ramming my cutlass in your chest.”
Before sentencing the defendant, Magistrate Behanzin frowned on the numerous convictions entailed Jno Baptiste’s antecedents. The magistrate was convinced that Jno Baptiste had received only minimal sentencing for most of his offenses.
Magistrate Behanzin noted that the defendant had already been convicted for 23 relevant offenses. According to him, the longest sentence the defendant had served for any one offense was seven months in prison; which is equivalent to approximately three months jail in total.
The defendant had received several strokes and was ordered to pay various fined throughout his years of breaking the law, according to the magistrate.
“This is a complete triple summersault back into Stockfarm. That is what this is… you only spent three months in prison maximum for five pages… That’s why you continue to do this foolishness,” he stated.
The defendant was ordered to pay the compensation of $110 for the trousers he damaged by December 28, 2013 and was sentenced to nine months in prison for the battery on security guard charge.
He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years for threats and six months for obstruction. There was no separate penalty for the other offenses.
All offenses are to run concurrently.
that sentence is to mild