A man had to be taken to hospital on Monday after suffering a wound to the head while waiting outside the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court to be sentenced for theft.
Romano Jackson was sitting outside the court building when someone walked up to him and struck him in the head, resulting in a wound.
As a result, the sentencing was adjourned to today, Wednesday.
But that was not the end of the drama surrounding the case for that day.
Inside the court, when the matter was called, a man with a withered right hand and a limp right leg, cried when faced with the repercussion of the crime committed by his 15-year-old son — Jackson’s co-accused.
Last Wednesday, May 13, Jackson, and the youth, pleaded guilty to a charge that between May 9 and 11 at Brighton:
· without lawful excuse, they damaged the left back door glass of motor vehicle RW-451, a Toyota RunX, valued at EC$550, the properly of Diallo Small of Frenches, and was reckless as to whether such property would be damaged;
· without lawful excuse, they damaged the left back door glass of a Suzuki Swift motor vehicle, value EC$500, the property of Franklyn King, of Richmond Hill;
· stole one Pioneer Double Dim car deck from motor vehicle RV 451, valued at EC$1,000;
· stole one Suzuki jeep light, valued at EC$1,500, King’s property;
· stole right and left head lamps valued at EC$2,500 and one black Clarion car deck, valued at EC$500 from a grey Suzuki Swift, King’s property
The sentencing was set for last Friday and was further adjourned to Monday.
At Monday’s court hearing, the complainant told the court that some of the items were removed from customer’s vehicles and he would have to replace them, regardless of the outcome of the court hearing.
King told the court that he had tried his best and had fenced the property, but he had still fallen victim to the crime.
Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett, who presided, said that his concern was about who would restore King to the position he was in before the theft.
“So I am telling you, because I have you in front of me, that when I get to my sentence, compensation is going to be on my mind,” he said.
He told the youth’s father that he is responsible for his son.
“I don’t know what you are going to tell me but whatever you say to me, my answer is going to be that you remain father,” Burnett said.
He further told the father that he could not abandon his son because of his behaviour.
Burnett said he does not accept parents coming to the court, and basically abandoning their children and expect the police and the court to fix it for them.
“I’ve said enough to you for you to know where I am likely to go. I don’t hide these things at all,” the magistrate said.
The youth was granted EC$10,000 bail with one surety.
This sounds better than the one which was written when the father was crying about being broke and cant afford even to pay transport to go home. And he is a Christian. What the magistrate has to do with those senseless crimes when you are in the wrong.
It’s how be a tough luck sentence.
So what happens to the person who inflicted the “buss head”?