BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ONE criminal is awaiting the findings of a psychiatric report before being sentenced while three others are awaiting similar reports to find out if they can stand trial as revealed at the closing of the January Assizes at the Basseterre High Court on Thursday, March 31.
However, the Psychiatrist, Dr. Sharon Halliday, is currently overseas and will not be available to answer questions to her findings until the next Assizes which will begin in May.
Those awaiting Dr. Halliday’s findings are Devon Albertine, Jahdell Browne, Sheldon Maloney and Melvina Kelly whose cases were all traversed.
According to His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas, Albertine, who pleaded guilty to wounding his uncle, Myron Charles, with intent to do him grievous bodily harm, will not be sentenced without the report.
At what was supposed to be Albertine’s sentencing on February 3, Justice Thomas said he was unable to sentence him because the court was unsure of his mental state.
“In light of what has been said, the court is not sure of the mental state of the accused and he will be detained and have a psychiatric evaluation and return to court at the end of the month.”
According to evidence presented in the court, the incident occurred on June 12, 2010 when the 33-year-old Ottley’s Village resident went into his uncle’s shop to shelter from the rain.
However, while there with a machete in his hand, his uncle’s wife asked him to leave the premises but he refused. Consequently, she called out to her husband and he confronted Albertine on the reason for his presence in the shop.
The social inquiry report further stated that an altercation ensued, which resulted in Albertine striking his uncle with the machete and causing him to suffer a deep laceration on one of his hands.
The report also stated that Albertine’s mother said her son was growing up as a good child but got involved with the wrong company and was introduced to cocaine at a young age.
His mother also said she would like him to be incarcerated so that he would be away from drugs.
The findings of a psychiatric evaluation are also being awaited for Browne of St. Peters. He was charged with the Sunday, October 25, 2009 murder of John Napier (75) and Sylvester Harris (37) and also the wounding of Wilfred Simmonds (52).
In a police report on the matter, Browne was referred to as “mentally challenged”.
His trial was scheduled to begin on January 27 and would have been the first murder trial for the assizes. However, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Paulina Hendrickson, told His Lordship that the prosecution team would have liked to make an application for the psychiatrist to review the deposition. The request was granted and agreed to by the accused defence counsels Dr. Henry Browne and Hesketh Benjamin.
According to a SKNVibes report, police sources informed that Napier was attacked on the premises of his Cedar Grove house, Harris was assaulted while in his garden at Parray’s Housing, Upper Monkey Hill and Simmonds was wounded a short distance from there.
The then Police Press and Public Relations Officer, Inspector Cromwell Henry, confirmed that Napier had died at his home and that Harris was transported to the Joseph N. France Hospital, where he subsequently died.
A former police officer and who was said to be a talented footballer, Sheldon Maloney, decided to plead insanity during his trial for indecently assaulting a female in Cayon on July 31, 2009.
He too was evaluated by Dr. Halliday to determine his mental state for trial.
According to Inspector Henry in a press release, Maloney was referred to as “a known mentally ill person of Conaree Village”.
The Saddlers Village grandmother, Melvina Kelly, who had shocked everyone when she was charged with the July 11, 2010 murder of her granddaughter, will also hear the findings of Dr. Halliday at the May Assizes.
Kelly was charged with causing the death of eight-year-old Belisha Edwards while the child was holidaying at her Saddlers Village home. Edwards was the daughter of Kelly’s son, Leroy Elliott.
The autopsy report which was done by resident pathologist Dr. Adrian Nunez revealed that “her death was due to complications resulting from a penetrated wound produced by a sharp instrument to the right side of the neck”.
The May Criminal Assizes will begin on Tuesday, May 10, 2011.
