Lawton Forbes Jailed For Five Years
By Pauline Waruguru
Nevis Reporter-SKNVibes.com
 |
| Lawton Forbes shortly after being sentenced to five years imprisonment |
Charlestown, Nevis (November 12, 2007): Lawton Forbes, of Hamilton Nevis, was sentenced to five years hard labour, at Her Majesty’s Prison, after he was found guilty of the charge of wounding with intent.
The 20 year old was found guilty by a twelve member jury and shortly thereafter judgment was handed down by Her Ladyship, Justice Ianthea Leigertwood Octavia, on November 12th.
According to the specifics of the case, the charge was laid against Forbes after he wounded Kimoy Huggins on the 26th of September, 2006. As a result, Huggins sustained a damaged eye, a fractured skull and other injuries about his body.
The Defence for Forbes, Mr. Chesley Hamilton, had pleaded for leniency on behalf of his client citing that the families of the victim and of Forbes were close and he also asked that some matters from 2004 be disregarded.
Her Ladyship said she had put Hamilton’s pleas into consideration while sentencing Forbes but she noted: “The year 2007 matters are of a different nature. “2007 matters speak to his disposition at the moment.”
“You are not a juvenile. The law recognises you as an adult offender, the Judge said while addressing Forbes.
Her Ladyship further said that a maximum of 10 years in prison is the sentence appropriate for the offence Forbes had committed - wounding with intent.
~~Adz:Right~~ Justice Leigertwood Octavia told him that he had turned an ordinary electric pipe into a dangerous weapon. She said Dr. Robert George’s evidence had confirmed to the court that “massive force” had been applied.
The Judge also cited a series of incidents that proved that Forbes was aggressive on the night of the incident.
“You told somebody to get up for you to sit down. You had a knife. You had told your father, ‘they must not play with me’,” Justice Leigertwood Octavia noted.
“That is an aggravating feature. You showed them what you stand for. Mr Hamilton has said there is closeness to the family. That is not a mitigating factor,” she added.
“You attacked your friend. If he was not your friend, what would you have done? You attacked a friend who ate with you!”
“You chose to hold on to use a weapon. I am sentencing you to prevent you doing this again. I am sending you away to be amongst offenders like you. You are young and there is something you can give to this society at a later date. I am giving you five years to think about what you have done,” the Judge said.
Evidence that provided the jury with facts to be able to return a verdict of guilty included testimonies by five prosecution witnesses – Dr Robert George a Consultant Surgeon at Alexandra Hospital, Nevis, the complainant Kimoy Huggins, Dwayne Freeman, Javed Powell and Joel Caines - the Police Officer who investigated the Hamilton 2005 fighting incident.
After Her Ladyship’s sentence, Forbes was handcuffed by a Police Officer and led out of the court by two police officers. His mother trailed behind him and the Police officers who were walking towards the police station.
Kimoy Huggins and his mother also walked out the court immediately.
“Me cool. I leave everything to God. I give thanks and prayers to the Father,” Huggins said after the sentencing.
His mother, calm but showing emotion, said, “I knew God would handle it. I left everything to God.”
