PRESIDING Judge, Justice Navindra Singh, yesterday, sentenced 62-year-old Jeffrey Ward to 71 years imprisonment for the murder of his wife.

The accused had inflicted nine incised wounds on the body of his 34-year-old wife, Donnette Ward, who had been visiting Guyana from Barbados. She had left him some time ago.
But on April 24, 2010, he had stabbed her nine times causing her death, for which he was charged with murder.
Yesterday, before being escorted from the Georgetown Prisons to Court, he said,“Bye-bye” to the warders, and predicted that the jury would find him not guilty.
One Prison Officer asked what made him think so? He brandished a large bible in his possession and added, “I am a child of God.”
After the foreman of the jury had delivered the unanimous guilty verdict of murder, the prisoner was asked whether he had anything to say why sentence should not be passed. He seized the opportunity to get permission from the judge to quote certain sections of the bible.
After the judge granted him permission to go ahead, the prisoner did not make reference to the section where it is said, “Thou shall not kill” but referred to other parts where sins were forgiven and to the part where Jesus was condemned and crucified and placed on the cross between two thieves.
When given a chance to speak, his lawyer, Mr. Huckumchand, suggested to the judge that before sentence is passed, consideration be taken in relation to the accused being made to receive psychiatric attention.
The judge noted that sentencing had nothing to do with psychiatric treatment and pointed out that if the prison authorities see the need for such treatment to be given, they would take the necessary steps for this to be done.

(By George Barclay)