Former businessman Junior France has been sentenced to spend just about the next four years in prison for the shooting death of a 17-year-old miner whom he said he thought was an intruder.
France, 45, had been tried for murder, but a jury back in March acquitted him on the capital charge but unanimously convicted him on the lesser count of manslaughter for unlawfully killing Dane Jerrick.
Referencing the facts of the case, Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the sentencing hearing yesterday afternoon said that the case was unlike many of the others usually dealt with by the courts, when considering the manner in which the teen met his end.
She said that not only was the defenceless young man shot in the back, but that all the circumstances pointed to what was France’s belief that owing to an alarm raised, someone had been trying to intrude on his property.
On this point the judge said that the Court needed to have regard for the fact that France was a licensed firearm holder and that in such circumstances the law recognizes one’s right to not only protect themselves, but their property as well.
Notwithstanding this, however, the judge sought to explain that given the unfortunate eventualities, the resort to the level of force which turned out to be lethal was excessive and misapplied.
This, she said, the offender had to take responsibility for.
Underscoring, however, mitigating factors which had been cited by France’s attorneys Nigel Hughes and Ronald Daniels; Justice Barlow said she considered that he has never had any brushes with the law.
She said, too, that his expression of remorse during a pre-sentence hearing, was viewed by the Court to have been genuine and his payment of compensation to the young man’s family spoke volumes.
The Judge said that while the compensation would not bring Jerrick back, it illustrated that the offender was willing to do whatever he could to make amends.
On account of all the mitigating factors, the judge deducted four years from the base sentence of 10 years.
Therefrom, she then ordered that the prison make full deductions for the time he would have spent on remand awaiting trial.
France was incarcerated following the shooting on May 17th, 2020.
The teenager was shot and killed at Puruni Landing, Mazaruni River, Essequibo.
This newspaper had previously reported that Jerrick was “lingering” in front of France’s business. As a result, France discharged several rounds in his direction, one of which struck him in his abdomen.
An autopsy would later reveal that the teen, formerly of Lot 1 ‘A’ Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara, died as a result of a gunshot injury to his abdomen.
