30 years for man on shooting charges

Fortunately for Clint Charles, of First Branch Road, New Grant, he will only serve four years — Justice Herbert Volney having ordered that his sentences run concurrently.

Charles was charged with three other men — Jason Jackman, Anderson Trim and Chet Sutton — who were all convicted of the offences in another court trial. Charles, however, had gone missing and he was not tried with them.

In outlining the case, Assistant DPP Joan Honore Paul, said that the accused and the other men, armed with a gun and two cutlasses, staged a robbery at Mansingh Restaurant and Bar, Thicke Village, Siparia, on November 7, 2002.

She said they robbed Indra Mansingh, Amanda Mansingh, Meena Mansingh and William Hackett Jaikeran, of almost $3,000 worth of jewelry.

The prosecutor said that they beat Jaikeran and Meena. Honore-Paul told Justice Volney that the men escaped in a waiting car but it was intercepted by PCs Rakesh Lal and Sebastian Bhanmanie, of the E-999 unit.

Charles and the two other men alighted the car and ran down an incline, the prosecutor said. The court heard that one of the accused shot at the police and the officers returned fire. Honore Paul said that the driver remained in the car and was arrested by the police.

Charles and another accused were found hiding near to a tree. Honore-Paul said that Charles was treated at hospital for a gunshot wound to the back of his head.

Volney said that Charles’ accomplices were serving varying jail sentences of eight to ten years. But the judge told the accused that he reduced his sentence by half, because he took into account that Charles was 18years at the time of the offence.

The judge added that the accused had no previous convictions, he was remorseful and contrite about the incident.

The judge said he also considered that Charles had already spent a total of 28 months awaiting trial. On seven counts, Charles was sentenced to four years each.

He received a jail term of two years on the ammunition charge. The judge ordered that the sentences are to run concurrently.