Man gets 18 years for manslaughter

EIGHTEEN years hard labour was the sentence handed down yesterday to a Petit Valley man convicted of manslaughter. As he stood before Justice Anthony Carmona at the Port-of-Spain Fourth Criminal Court awaiting his sentence,  27-year-old Aaron Ali was informed that even though he did not receive a life sentence — the maximum penalty for unlawful killing — his remorse had landed him 18 years because it was “mere lip service,” since Ali had maintained he had acted in self defence.

Ali was reminded that life is “sacrosanct” and the court could not become complacent in its duty. As a result, the court had to “signal its utter contempt” for Ali’s behaviour.  “You are responsible for the demise of a human being and you have to live with that,” Carmona said. Regarding the non-custodial sentence hinted at during a mitigation plea on Ali’s behalf by attorney Nathaniel King, Carmona said persons charged with manslaughter should expect a custodial sentence.

Ali, 27, of Morne Coco Road, Petit Valley was charged with the murder of Marlon “Fygee” John on June 28 2002 but was found guilty of the lesser count of manslaughter on February 4. During the trial, State witness Chester Williams, the only eyewitness, testified that Ali had shot John without provocation. In his defence, however, Ali said he had accidently shot John while fending off an attack by the deceased. State attorneys Marissa Gomes and Nalini Singh prosecuted.