A man who unintentionally hit his two-month-old son with the buckle of his belt, from which injury the child subsequently died, was yesterday sentenced to eight years in prison, after pleading guilty to manslaughter before Justice Navindra Singh.
James Hunt, 42, called “Dougla,” who was initially indicted for murder, pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter, which was accepted by the State and Court.
He accepted that on March 20, 2012 at Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara, he unlawfully killed his infant son, Andy.
When given a chance to speak, Hunt, who was moved to tears, said that he did not intend to hit his son, and was very sorry about the entire incident.
He said the mother of the child would always tell him hurtful things, and that she had advanced towards him when he tried to talk to her. He also admitted that he had been drinking at the time. In the facts, which were not disputed by the convict, Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy said that on the day in question, Hunt approached his reputed wife who was sitting at a shop breastfeeding their son.
In a verbal exchange between the two, which led to a physical altercation, Hardy said that Hunt took off his belt, wrapped the tail end around his hand, and fired a lash in the direction of the baby.
The prosecutor said that the buckle of the belt connected with the child’s head. She added that the baby was immediately rushed to the hospital by Hunt, but died later the said day from the injuries he sustained.
Defence counsel George Thomas, in mitigation, asked the court to consider that his client had immediately rushed the child to hospital after being hit, expressed remorse and had no antecedents.
Justice Singh, after listening to what Hunt had to say, said he believed him, noting that from the case file, he had also truthfully told the police everything that had happened. The judge said he also believed that Hunt regretted his actions, adding that it was unfortunate he had lost his temper, citing that alcohol may have also contributed to that.
After considering all the circumstances, Justice Singh sentenced Hunt to a period of imprisonment for eight years, in which he urged him to use that time to develop himself, and to learn a skill from the various programmes offered by the prison. Noting that from the record he was a prisoner of “good behaviour,” the judge told Hunt to continue on that path, as it can lead to him being paroled early.
Before accepting his plea, Justice Singh enquired from Hunt, whether he had taken any medication or drugs in the in 24 hours prior to making his plea, to which the convict answered in the negative. Asked if he had discussed his plea with his attorney, Hunt said yes.
He also answered likewise, when asked by the judge if he knew that by pleading guilty to manslaughter he would have lost his right to a trial and would be sentenced to a term of imprisonment.
Asked finally whether he was being forced by anyone to plead guilty, Hunt said no.
Justice Singh then informed that the court was satisfied that the factual basis for manslaughter had been established, and that the plea entered by Hunt would be accepted.
