Deon Braithwaite, who was accused of attempting to murder another man using a pitchfork, was yesterday found guilty of the lesser count of felonious wounding and sentenced to 20 years in jail.
After about two hours of deliberation, a 12-member jury returned a guilty verdict, convicting Braithwaite of felonious wounding.
The charge against Braithwaite was that on October 29th, 2012, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Safraz Gani, with intent to commit murder.
He was accused of spearing Gani to his chest with a pitchfork.
When given a chance to speak, the unrepresented convict told the court that he had taken matters into his own hands.
He said he felt that a son was obligated to protect his mother and he was sorry for his actions. In light of Braithwaite’s remarks, the judge underscored the time the court would have invested in having to conduct a trial.
Justice Barlow sentenced Braithwaite to 20 years behind bars, but informed that 10 months was being deducted for the time he spent in prison on remand for the charge, before being admitted to bail.
When Braithwaite was initially charged, the prosecutor had informed that the parties had a misunderstanding, during which Braithwaite stabbed Gani to his chest with a pitchfork and dealt him several lashes about his body with the handle of the tool.
The court was also told that Gani sustained several broken bones and collapsed in an unconscious state before being rushed to the hospital. The man’s left hand had been paralyzed due to the attack.
The state’s case was presented by prosecutors Michael Shahood and Narissa Leander.
