TRUDY Samuels called “Jad” and “Jadi”, 22, has been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for the 2016 manslaughter of his cousin-in-law when he appeared before Justice Brassington Reynolds in the Georgetown High Court on Thursday.

The judge started at a base of 30 years but deducted five years for his cooperation/had taken weapon to the pastor, two years for time served and five years owing to certain mitigation features/probation report.

As such, a total of 12 years was deducted and he will serve 18 years imprisonment.

Probation Officer Aggrey Azore told the court that he prepared the probation report after interviewing members of Santa Mission and both relatives of the deceased and the accused.

He told the court that Samuels was born at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and came from a broken home after his parents separated and went on to have other children with different partners.

Azore stated that the accused went to live with his grandmother at a young age and left the formal school system to work due to financial issues.

The probation officer said the conduct of the accused is good and he did not display any violent behaviour and is also of good character. Samuels is said to be a hard worker and at an early age he was engaged in fishing to sustain his family.

Azore told the court that Samuels is a family-oriented person, good-natured and a kind and loving individual and the deceased is his cousin’s husband and they were celebrating her birthday after which they went to a wake house.

He also spoke well of his record since incarnation and the incident has surprised the community and both families given the fact he was not prone to violence.

Azore also noted that the wife of the deceased said with the loss of her husband, four children are left without a father and their performance in school has diminished and they are devastated.

GREAT REMORSE

Azore told the court that the accused has shown great remorse for his actions and pleaded with the court for mercy in which a reasonable sentence should be handed down, given the fact that the accused has recognised his mistake and is in the process of reformation.

Defence Attorney Satyesh Kissoon said Samuels tried to render assistance in taking the deceased to the hospital but it was too late.

Kissoon added that the probation report speaks well of the accused but a life was lost nevertheless which has rendered a wife and four children without a husband and father.

Justice Reynolds after listening to the proceeding said for the second time on Thursday he has need to describe the incident as a tragedy where two families are tramautised due to alcohol abuse.

He told the court that if the community was more proactive, the incident could have been avoided and the incomplete education of the accused coupled with alcohol abuse resulted in the loss of a life.

According to the state’s case, on February 22, 2016, in the county of Demerara Samuel murdered Joseph Jaundoo called “Teddy” or “Ted”.

Nikita Jaundoo, wife of the deceased reported that the accused and her husband were all at a ‘wake’ house in Santa Mission. They left the wake for home, however her husband returned to the wake house for their sons.

After some time, her sons came home saying their father sent them. She was told something and she returned to the wake house where she saw the deceased and the accused fighting and parted them and took her husband home.

The accused was sitting on the steps of their home when she saw the accused coming towards them and her husband ran upstairs.

The accused pushed her aside and went into their house, after which she went behind them, where she them saw the him stabbing her husband with a knife and pulled him off.

The accused was later arrested and charged for murder.

According to reports from the village, the men were imbibing alcohol at a wake house in the community where ‘jokes’ were reportedly made. The ‘jokes’ were not taken lightly by Samuels, and there was an altercation between the two men.

Persons parted them, after which Jaundoo proceeded home and the accused followed him and there he reportedly fatally stabbed him.

The State was represented by Shawnette Austin and Lisa Cave while the defence attorney was Satyesh Kissoon.