THIRTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD Lexroy Garraway, called “Bam-Bam” was, on Tuesday, sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for fatally stabbing his drinking buddy in 2019.

Garraway of Enterprise, Lower Pomeroon, was sentenced by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Suddie High Court.

Last month, Garraway appeared before Justice Barlow for the capital offence of murder. However, he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

He admitted that, on May 23, 2019, at Takutu Landing, Puruni Road, Mazaruni River, he unlawfully killed Erick Nurse, called “Black-Boy”.

During his address to the court at his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Garraway asked the judge to temper justice with mercy.

“Please have mercy upon me, my worship,” he told the judge.

During the disclosure of his probation report, the court was informed that, in 2017, Garraway was convicted on a wounding charge at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court and was sentenced to serve two years.

Judge Barlow took into consideration the aggravating factors of the case, including the loss of a life, and the weapon used during the commission of the crime.

She also placed weight on Garraway’s previous conviction, his early plea and his background.

After announcing the 14-year sentence, the judge ordered prison authorities to deduct the time he spent on remand.

The state was represented by prosecutor Tiffini Lyken while Garraway was represented by attorney-at-law Latchmi Dindayal.

According to the reports, on the day in question, Garraway and Nurse were drinking at Joanna’s shop at Takutu Landing.

Garraway then went into the living quarters of one of the shop’s female employees and hid.

When the startled shop assistant discovered him there, she raised an alarm. Nurse came to her rescue and pulled Garraway out of the living quarters.

The two friends then had an argument which resulted in a physical altercation during which Garraway pulled out a knife and stabbed Nurse several times.

Nurse was rushed to the Bartica Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Garraway was later arrested and confessed to stabbing Nurse in self-defence.