In the middle of his trial for the murder of his friend, Ignatius France yesterday decided to plead guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter, for which he was sentenced to 12 years in jail, with deductions to be made for the time he has already served.
Following his denial of the capital indictment initially read to him yesterday morning for murdering Mark Ashby, France’s trial subsequently commenced before a jury at the High Court in Georgetown, where two of the four state witnesses to be called completed their testimony.
When the matter resumed after lunch, however, France, through his attorney Maxwell McKay, indicated to the court his desire to change his plea to the lesser charge, thereby accepting that on May 11th, 2012, at Port Kaituma, he unlawfully killed Ashby.
Noting that the contents of a caution statement which his client gave to police told a tale of him being attacked, McKay begged Justice Navindra Singh for leniency, while stating that France was sorry about what had happened.
Counsel said that the two were friends and had been drinking when an argument ensued between them and another person and resulted in a scuffle during which Ashby was chopped with a cutlass by France.
Highlighting the involvement of alcohol in the case, which he said can lead to violence, McKay asked the judge to consider all the circumstances surrounding the killing, while specifically noting that he was not using drunkenness to excuse his client’s culpability.
For his part, however, Prosecutor Teriq Mohammed asked the court to impose a sentence which he said would reflect the nature and gravity of the offence.
Declaring alcohol to be what he described “a big problem, especially in the interior,” Justice Singh said not only did that “start the whole thing,” but admonished France to endeavour to stop drinking after his release from prison.
Opining that France did not seem to be a “bad person,” Justice Singh further encouraged him to use his time behind bars to participate in the available rehabilitative programmes offered by the prison.
“At 35 years old, you are still young and can do something with your life,” the judge told the offender, who nodded in apparent agreement.
While stating that he was drunk and could not clearly remember all the details of what transpired on the day in question, France said he was sorry for whatever part he may have played in his friend’s demise.
After listening to submissions from both sides, the judge imposed the 12-year sentence on France, ordering that time be deducted for that he would have so far spent on remand awaiting trial. He had been in prison for the past seven years.
