ORIN Rodrigues, 23, of Moblissa, Soesdyke/Linden Highway has been sentenced to 30 years each for manslaughter of a mother and her son when he appeared before Justice Brassington Reynolds in the Georgetown High Court on Thursday.

The sentences will run concurrently. The judge started at a base of 42 years but deducted five years for the guilty plea, four years for time served and three years for remorse.

In total, Justice Reynolds deducted 12 years, leaving Rodrigues to serve 30 years behind bars.

After the sentencing, a pensive Rodrigues exited a packed courtroom which contained relatives of the deceased as well as his family members.

According to Probation Officer Michelle Small, who is attached to Region 10, Rodrigues was born in the North West District (NWD) from a common law union between his parents. When he was an infant, they separated.

His mother however, started a new relationship which bore eight children and after encountering financial difficulties he exited the school system and entered the world of work at a young age to assist in supporting his family.

She related that Rodrigues had a normal childhood but is semi-literate and was not in a serious relationship.

The deceased and the accused were not related but occasionally consumed alcohol together and prior to the incident he had no altercations with that family.

Small told the court that Rodrigues’ prison record speaks well of him and he is part of the boxing team.

She said that the accused suffered from an emotional loss when his parents separated.

Small told the court that the family of the deceased said following the death of their mother and brother, their father turned to alcohol abuse and he was subsequently killed in a road accident.

She stated that the accused has expressed genuine remorse for his actions and has accepted responsibility for it.

He hails form a stable home but moved toward rapid alcohol consumption which was a normal practice of recreation in his community.

In his plea of mitigation, Defence Attorney Maxwell McKay said the accused is a boxer in prison and attend church services regularly and has shown remorse for what he did.

Rodrigues, 21, was only 17 when the incident took place and his attorney asked for a reasonable sentence from the judge.

BEGGED FOR MERCY

Rodrigues also asked the judge for mercy and begged for a reasonable sentence.

Justice Brassington Reynolds before handing down the sentence told the court that the incident is a tragedy on so many levels and it is ironic that a talented young man has found himself in such a position.

The judge added that by the actions of the deceased, two families are distraught and pointed out that the incident is indeed a tragedy because of lack of social services in remote communities where Rodrigues lives.

The judge told the court that the accused did not benefit from adequate exposure to education and noted his circumstance would have been different had he not leave school so young.

The judge added that it is painful for him but justice must be served given the fact that two lives have gone to waste and after listening to the probation report among other things, he handed down his sentence.

On November, 30, 2013, in the County of Demerara, Orin Rodrigues murdered Molly James, 30, and Aaron James, 15.

He pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter when he made his first court appeared before Justice Reynolds.

It is alleged on the day in question, at 14:00hrs, Molly’s teenage daughter was at Moblissa Creek washing when the accused forcible engaged in sexual intercourse with her by threatening her with a knife.

Afterwards, she told her mother about the incident and they made a complaint to the Ameila’s ward Police Outpost. In his caution statement dated December 1, 2013, the accused admitted to having sex with the teenager and he became enraged when he learnt that she and her mother had reported the matter to the police.

In a fit of rage, he picked up a knife and went to Molly’s house at about midnight and saw them sleeping and reportedly stabbed them and escaped.

He was later arrested and charged for the double murder of Molly James and her son Aaron James at Moblissa on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway.

The State was represented by Shawnette Austin and Lisa Cave while the defence attorney was Maxwell McKay.