… committed to psychiatric hospital
A PRISONER accused of killing his fellow inmate by hitting him with an iron rod on his head while he was asleep in 2006, was yesterday jailed for 17 years, following an effective plea in mitigation and a probation report. However, Anthony Gregory Patmore, who before and after the alleged killing had shown signs of mental illness, that caused him to be hospitalized at a psychiatric hospital, will be kept at that hospital until he is fully recovered.
Justice Diana Insanally sentenced the accused yesterday after he had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.
Padmore is indicted with having between the 13th and 14th of August, 2006, murdered Nkosi McLeod, known as Nkosi, a fellow prisoner at the Georgetown Prison.
The accused was defended by Attorney-at-Law Mr. D. Todd, and appeared in court some time ago and pleaded not guilty to the capital charge, but guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.
Justice Insanally ordered a probation report. That report together with a mitigation report by the defence lawyer was presented yesterday, indicating that the accused has partly recovered from the illness that had again attacked him following the commission of the crime, and he was now remorseful.
Defence counsel said that the accused took the particular course since he did not wish to waste the court’s time.
The judge taking all the circumstances into consideration began with a sentence of 30 years, but decided to subtract 13 years in consideration for the years of his incarceration, the probation report and mitigation, leaving a sentence of 17 years.
State Counsel Dionne Mc Cammon prosecuted.
(By George Barclay)