A REMORSEFUL Paul Scotland, who pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter and to wounding with intent, was sentenced to 16 years in prison by Justice Navindra Singh, in the High Court on Tuesday.
The judge told Scotland that he took several things into consideration including his early plea, his guilty plea and time served.
Justice Singh told the court that for the second indictment; wounding with intent, he sentenced Scotland to eight years.
The judge told Scotland that “I know you lost your temper and acted badly in the situation but you will re-join society” and at the same time, wishing him good luck.
The accused told the court that he is sorry for what had happened, owing his behaviour to frustration which took the better of him when he arrived home, only to find the mother of his children with another man.
He however, asked the relatives of the deceased for forgiveness and begged the court for mercy in giving him a reasonable sentence so he can return home to his three children.
Scotland also apologised to the brother of the deceased, Charles Elliot, who was present in the courtroom on Tuesday.
In his plea of mitigation, defence attorney Dexter Todd told the court that he is asking for a minimum sentence in light of time already served.
Todd added that when the incident took place, the accused was in his early 20s and he shared a warm relationship with the deceased for an extended period of time, during which three children were born.
Attorney Todd explained that even though the accused cannot replace the life lost, he wants to be there for his children and to assist them in understanding what took place so they can move forward.
He stated that while on remand, the accused displayed good behaviour. As such, he asked the court to exercise mercy so the accused can be re-integrated into society.
In response, state prosecutor Abigail Gibbs asked the court for the sentence to reflect on the gravity of the offence committed.
The State presented two indictments against the accused, Paul Scotland, which states that on January 3, 2014, in the county of Demerara, he murdered Monica Adams and on the same day he wounded Charles Elliot.
She related that the accused entered the house through an opened door, ignoring the cousin and brother of the deceased. He dragged her by the hair and stabbed her in front of her brother, Charles Elliot.
Gibbs stated that Elliot intervened by hitting the accused with a shower rod, causing him to chase after him with the knife. Elliot was however stabbed in the chest once but escaped.
The victim, Monica Adams, was picked up and taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
A post mortem revealed that she died as a result of cerebral trauma to the head compounded by multiple wounds.
