–slapped with life sentence

IN a courtroom scene fraught with emotion, a convicted double murderer made a desperate plea for clemency, begging the judge for mercy as he faced the consequences of his heinous crimes.
However, 61-year-old Prince David Reid’s pleadings went unheard, as Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall condemned him to life in jail, and ordered him to serve 23 years before becoming eligible for parole.

A mixed 12-member jury in February convicted Reid of murdering 36-year-old Amit Jairam, also known as Rocky, and Randy Richard Melville.
Following the verdict, Justice Morris-Ramlall, of the Demerara High Court, deferred the convict’s sentencing hearing to last Thursday in order to hear the probation and prison conduct reports, victim impact statements and submissions from the defence and prosecution.

On December 16, 2017, Reid assaulted three people, and stabbed another while on the Tarla Dam tarmac in Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD). According to reports, a disagreement erupted during a game of “Chic Chic” gambling, following which Reid pulled a cutlass from his bus and chopped Premnauth Basdeo in the head. Following the altercation, Reid ran his speeding minibus into a crowd, killing Jairam, Melville, and another person.

Voice trembling, Ried, a bus driver and formerly of Stewartville, WCD, on Thursday implored the judge to consider the circumstances surrounding his actions, and to extend leniency in his sentencing.
“I am telling the deceased’s friends and family that I am sorry. I never meant to kill anyone; it was an accident. Have mercy upon me.”

The courtroom became silent as the defendant’s remarks reverberated. The victims’ families, gathered in the gallery, were observed with a mix of grief and despair.
Reid had earlier told a probation officer that he was willing to support Melville’s young child financially whenever he is released from prison.

Through a victim impact statement from Jairam’s uncle, the man told the court that his nephew did not deserve to die in such a cruel manner.
One of Melville’s relatives wrote, “I hope you [Reid] never find peace” in their impact statement.

Adrian Thompson, the offender’s lawyer, urged the judge to temper justice with mercy, adding that his client has indicated a desire to be rehabilitated.
The defence attorney also requested that his client be credited for time spent on remand.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor, State Counsel Rubina Christmas, requested that the killer be sentenced in accordance with the nature and seriousness of the offence.
She emphasised that “murder is one of the most serious crimes to be committed”.

Christmas described the murder of the men as “a premeditated, deliberate, and calculated act”.
Although Reid claimed that his conduct was not willful, Justice Morris-Ramlall stated in her sentencing remarks that the evidence accepted by the jury told a different narrative.

According to her, as Reid drove away, he shouted, “If I don’t shoot them, I will knock them down.”
Justice Morris-Ramlall pointed out that this utterance, as well as how he manoeuvred the bus “suggested that his actions were willful”.

She said he drove the vehicle into the crowd twice, adding, “This was the manner in which the offender saw it fit to react to a disagreement over gambling.” The judge stated that the deaths of the two men have caused irreparable sorrow to their loved ones.

In the circumstances, the judge ruled that a life sentence was appropriate, and that Reid should not be returned to society unless he has proved, through rehabilitation, that he is worthy of reintegration. It was ordered by the judge that he continue to be exposed to anger management training.