THE prosecution is to make submissions on April 8, 2015, after advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Samuel Hinds Jr. case. Hinds Jnr., son of Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, was found guilty of unlawful wounding on February 6 by former Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond.

He was scheduled to be sentenced by the former magistrate on February 20 last, but on that very day, Chandan-Edmond was dismissed by the Judicial Service Commission.
Attorney-at-law Mr. Peter Hugh, representing Hinds Jr., will also reply to the prosecution’s submission on the given date. Presiding over the matter is Magistrate Annette Singh, while representing the prosecution is Police Corporal Renetta Bentham.
At the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, the Court gave its opinion based on research, in that Hinds had been already found guilty by a magistrate for the offence with which he was charged.
However, Magistrate Singh said that the only way a trial could be restarted is if the guilty verdict has been appealed. She noted that the court has no jurisdiction to do so and as such the court’s opinion is to sentence the defendant.
The 33-year-old miner of Duke Street, Kingston, Georgetown, was found guilty of wounding his teenaged sister-in-law, Tenza Layne, after he had accused her of stealing his cellular phone. He is currently out on bail.

On the day in question, February 27, 2014, Hinds and the victim had an argument over the missing cell-phone. He is said to have stomped Layne before dragging her on the ground and beating her with a cane. He then brandished a gun, cranked it and threatened to kill her.