Samantha St. John of Grand Bay, who has a history of mental illness, has been sentenced to ten years in jail to take effect from 2016.
She had earlier this year pleaded guilty to man slaughter of her son, Gabriel Moses Bruno, between May 20 & 23, 2016 in Grand Bay. The court had ordered a social inquiry report and also a psychiatric assessment before sentencing.
St. John’s mother testified that she is without a proper house and has no place to house her sick daughter. Her lawyer, Peter Alleyne, put in an impassioned, mitigating plea asking the court to consider St. John’s condition.
However, with no facilities in Dominica to house persons with such conditions, the court was left with no option but to send her to the Stock Farm prison. The court also ordered that St. John receive further medical care.
Meantime, Alfred Frank of Pointe Michel who had pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, was sentenced to three years in jail.
Neil Laurent was placed behind bars for 18 years after he was found guilty on charges of unlawful sexual intercourse and indecent assault of a minor.
Jeffery Francis, who pleaded guilty to malicious damage, was placed on a bond to keep the peace for two years and in default, he will go to jail for 2 years. The court found that he had spent a number of years in custody awaiting trial and that was enough punishment.
Another individual ( a female name withheld) who pleaded guilty to the charge of “concealing of birth” was given a 10 months suspended sentencing and ordered to do counseling.
So this one with a history of mental illness gets 10 years. Years ago another with no such history killed two kids and then caught a flight to Canada.
EXACTLY!!!!!
That’s the first thought that popped in my head. Everyone who knows Samantha knows she IS mentally ill. The other murdered her two kids and was trying to pass off some bull crap story about why she did it. Man look nonsense.
this place is disgusting. That case of the woman who killed her 2 children was one of the worst.
an island state with such a lack of proper justice
How quickly are we to judge without knowledge and still miss the point. There is no where else to put the woman hence the reason she’s going to Stockfarm. The other young lady did have a history of mental illness but our people still don’t ‘believe’ this unless a person running around acting like they mad. She was taken to Canada to a facility that catered to her mental illness instead of just throwing her in a cell for 10 years without treating her. Do you wonder what will happen in 2026 when she’s released back into society?
Only in this heartless country,this lady has a mental illness,and am sure she is not aware of what she did,if this was a prominent person,am sure they would have gotten the proper help,this country is a bad taste.
Ahh I feel for you Samantha. Dominica’s law favours the rich.. I really hope she gets the help that she needs.
This is so upsetting that this individual is sentenced to the wrong institution. Itbis recognise that the caribbean itself does not have that kind of facility,if you read news from the more advance places the situation is the same. Lord help us in the region,then again people with mental health die in the UK from lack of proper care, there is no money. What a shame
Dominica is a country where the fittest of the fittest survives. There is no facility for recovering substance abusers (alcoholics, addicts of illegal drugs), no institution for the mentally ill, no Family Court for children who are sexually exploited and physically abused, grossly inadequate health services. It’s a place where the minimum wage is the lowest in the O.E.C.S. A place where pensioners have to depend on others for their very survival. Only the well connected lives a life in comfort and affluence. Dominicans must give this badly underperforming regime its walking ticket at the next polls.
Well put! Dominica is not producing anything new; instead there’s saturation. Then, there’s politics. Ineffective, imbalanced, and useless politics. Democracy is not the solution to the problems, which are faced by the average islander.
“However, with no facilities in Dominica to house persons with such conditions, the court was left with no option but to send her to the Stock Farm prison.”
Rovervelt skerrit and the DLp has been in office for 20 years and up till now they can’t build a facility to house these people..
And bossman you asking for 5 more years?. . Boss just mov Yor more dah hass thee eh boss…
What 5 more years u want garson?? To do what??
1. “St. John’s mother testified that she is without a proper house and has no place to house her sick daughter. ”
2. “…with no facilities in Dominica to house persons with such conditions, the court was left with no option but to send her to the Stock Farm prison.”
Ah magwaysa.
You see… You see the lies this DLP government is telling you all? Is this how they care for people? This lady has a history of mental illness. That means she has been like this for many years. I am sure the government was aware of this case. A child’s death could have been avoided. Now she’s on her way to prison.
Grand Bay people, open your eyes 👀. You are being loyal to a government that clearly does not care enough about you.