Curepe man gets 11 years —

David Jim Phillips, who is also called “Running Man,” was on March 8, found guilty of burglarising the home of his neighbour Camille Bachan and wounding her with intent. On Monday he was sentenced to seven years for the burglary offence and four years for the wounding offence.

The sentences will run concurrently.

In handing down the sentence, Madame Justice Alice York Soo Hon chastised the convicted man for being a poor example to his two children and admonished him to consider turning over a new leaf for them.

According to Soo Hon, while neighbours sought to be each others’ keepers, Phillips chose to be a perpetrator, to invade Bachan’s home while her husband was not there. This, Soo Hon said, was serious and far too prevalent, and society had to be protected from people like him (Phillips). “It is almost as if you cannot help yourself,” Soo Hon said, advising that the convicted man should avail himself of rehabilitation, from which much could be achieved.

The State’s case was that at about 9 pm on December 10, 2003 Bachan secured her home at Ramgoolie Trace, Curepe and went to bed.

Some time later, she heard a noise and when she went into the living room she saw Phillips with her DVD and CD players in his hands.

When he saw her, he ran into a neighbour’s yard and hid in a dog kennel.

She called out to him to return her appliances and he ran on to the Southern Main Road. Bachan filed a report at the St Joseph Police Station and a warrant was issued for Phillips’ arrest. On December 14 Bachan saw Phillips and confronted him. He slapped her, she slapped him back and he withdrew a knife and stabbed her on both shoulders. He was arrested and charged on April 1, 2004 by PC Sheldon Peters.

In his defence, Phillips claimed the burglary was a case of mistaken identity and that she was the oppressor in the fight.

Phillips was represented by attorney Michelle Solomon, while Debbie-Ann Bassaw prosecuted.