A 35-year-old labourer was on Friday sentenced to five years imprisonment for wounding Thakur Lokram, who is currently dating his ex-wife.

Franklin Griffith, of Sans Souci, Wakenaam, appeared at the Suddie High Court where he was indicted for attempted murder. However, he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of felonious wounding.

Griffith admitted that on February 23, 2020, at Sans Souci, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Lokram with the intent to maim, disfigure or disable him.

He was represented by attorney-at-law Latchmi Dindayal, while the state was represented by prosecutor Tiffini Lyken.

Justice Sewnarine-Beharry before imposing sentence, considered the nature and gravity of the offence as well as the use of a dangerous weapon to commit the crime. She also said that Griffith is an adult and should have known better.

Nevertheless, she gave him credit for not wasting the court’s time and confessing to the crime.

The judge in handing down her decision, ordered that Griffith serve five years in prison and that the prison authorities deduct from the sentence the time he spent on remand.

The probation officer in her probation report, said that the incident stemmed from an old grievance he had with Lokram, who was his employer.

According to the report, Lokram had an affair with his reputed wife of 10 years, which caused the couple to separate.

On the date in question, Griffith, while being armed with a cutlass, attacked Lokram at his Sans Souci home. Lokram received severe injuries about his body including his head, face, shoulder and left hand.