Jamal Cromwell is twenty years old but his rap sheet is an indication of a murderer in the making, if he has not already done so in one of his criminal forays.

He was previously slapped with several robbery charges, among which were discharging a loaded firearm and attempting to commit two felonies; yet, on Tuesday last, he was sentenced to a mere additional jail term of eighteen months in prison. The convict had accepted two charges of attempting to commit a felony and discharging a loaded firearm, but was only sentenced by Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry to 18 months imprisonment on each of the three charges, which will run concurrently, so for all these heinous, life-threatening crimes he would serve, approximately, a year in prison.
On Saturday November 23, 2013 Cromwell attempted to rob Joel Sukra and Sarah Bisoondyal while being armed.
On the same day he also discharged a loaded firearm at Police Constable 18438, Praim Narine with intent to maim or disfigure or cause him grievous bodily harm.
The cop, in response, returned fire and hit the accused who then escaped on a motorcycle which was driven by an accomplice.

Cromwell was later apprehended at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was admitted because of the injuries he had sustained.

Subsequent to him being discharged, he was charged and taken before the court on seven charges.
He was recently sentenced by Magistrate Judy Latchman on another robbery under arms charge.

He first appeared before the Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on November 28 last year at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The charge to which he admitted stated that on October 12 last, at Thomas Lands, while being armed with a knife, he robbed Javed Barakat of his iPhone valued at $160,000 and Tyrone Marok’s BlackBerry Curve valued at $45,000 while he was riding a bicycle.
Cromwell brandished a knife, placed it on the victim’s neck and relieved him of the iPhone and BlackBerry and later escaped on his bicycle.

Magistrate Azore said that before sentencing Cromwell she had considered both the mitigating and aggravating circumstances.

Azore said that she considered that a knife was used in the commission of the crime but thought was given to his age, the fact that he did not waste the court’s time as well as the fact that he has one minor child. As such, Magistrate Azore imposed a jail term of 18 months.

On Tuesday, in mitigation, he asked the Chief Magistrate to be lenient in her decision since he is already serving a sentence and is the father of a one-year-old.
This criminal began his career on a bicycle while armed with a knife which he placed against the victim’s neck; then he graduated to using a gun while escaping on a motorbike, next it will be a motorcar and someone will be murdered.
The foregoing are only the crimes that he was caught committing; and it would be foolhardy to believe that he had not committed many more such crimes – maybe with dire consequences for his victims without getting caught. What has him having a child to do with the crimes he has committed? The country’s courts are seemingly playgrounds for criminals and their lawyers. Something is seriously wrong with Guyana’s justice system, and it is reflected in the sentencing policies of the presiding judges and magistrates.