Lake to serve 39 years, Jederon 18
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH a stoic impression written on their faces, Leon Jederon of Conaree Village and Jahmari Lake of Shadwell Estate stood in the prisoner's dock last Thursday (Mar. 28) and silently listened as their prison sentences were handed to them.
Before passing sentence, His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas chastised the two young men for the heinous crimes they committed.
They were originally charged with robbery/receiving, rape and indecent assault, but the latter charge was dropped.
Their trial began on February 11 with the prosecution team led by Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Rhonda Nisbett-Browne calling some 14 witnesses to testify on behalf of the State.
Sometime during the trial, Jederon changed his not guilty plea to guilty but Lake attempted to maintain innocence and was unanimously convicted on February 20 by a 12-member jury.
At sentencing, Lake's Attorney, John Cato, spoke at length on his behalf. He begged the Court to have mercy on the convict, stating if one puts a little mercy and a little justice together, it could form the right sentence proportion.
He suggested that the Court should look down the line and see what a long prison term could do to Lake as a young man.
He stressed on Lake's young age of 21 and said that he had not yet matured.
At that point, Justice Thomas interjected and stated that Cato had neither mentioned the aggravating factors nor the insult it sends to women, noting that one should "call a spade a spade".
Cato then once again suggested not sending Lake away for an extended period of time, stating..."not when he is an old man and cannot find a job". He said the prison cell had turned Lake around and he should be given credit for that.
He stressed that the Court should take into consideration that a long prison sentence would do more harm than good for his client, and in 10 years he would have seen that his "one minute snap decision was a mistake".
The lawyer said Lake was just 19 years old when the incident occurred and that he is still a child; in that he has yet to have the experiences of life that allows for one to make better choices.
"Give him the opportunity to rehabilitate himself and redeem himself while giving justice to the victims and society," Cato ended.
Jederon, who was unrepresented, stood and simply asked the Court to consider the fact that he pleaded guilty instead of wasting its time. He also asked for leniency.
Lake's Social Inquiry Report said he grew up in a loving and caring environment with parents who provided him with all he needed. It made mention of his grandmother who had also contributed to the positivity within which he was surrounded.
The Report further mentioned his talent with drums, stating that he had an opportunity to become outstanding but threw everything away by choosing the wrong friends. It added that he had good examples to follow and that his family tried to keep him on the right path, but he chose otherwise.
The 25-year-old Jederon, on the other hand, was described as one who grew up without a father and whose criminal behaviour came as a result of his negative environment, but noted that he understood right from wrong.
It also said that he blamed his friends for his criminal behaviour.
Before passing judgment, Justice Thomas told the convicts that their charges were disturbing, as they were tied to two contrasting individuals.
He described their act as a spur of the moment crime and stated that there were two negative aspects of it - the discrimination against the women and the fact that two firearms were involved.
He chastised the men for their actions, stating that this is the age of women's rights where society is moving towards giving women more respect for the roles they play in people's lives and society.
The judge said that rape is always a crime of extreme violence to women and described the act perpetrated by the convicts as a brutal one. He said the days of rape and run no longer exists; women now have to be tie up and endure other aggravating violence.
He then gave a summary of the facts of the case and stated that the men's ages should be considered, but they were overwhelmed by the nature of the crime and the use of firearms.
His Lordship stressed on the fact that guns were used in the commission of the crime as a scare tactic. He further stressed on the fact that the women were also tied up and over $45 000 worth of items and cash were stolen from them along with a vehicle.
For the robbery charge, Lake was sentenced to serve 18 years in prison. His notional sentence was 15 years, but an addition of three years was given for the aggravating factors.
Jederon's nominal sentence was 12 years, but it was reduced by a mandatory one third because of his guilty plea. He would instead be serving eight years for the robbery.
Before they were sentenced on the rape charge, Justice Thomas said that Parliament has made it clear that rape should not be taken lightly, given that the maximum sentence for committing such an act is life imprisonment.
He stressed on the brutality of the act and the fact that the firearms were again used to scare the woman into submitting herself to their illicit wants.
He gave details of Lake's involvement in the sexual crime, stating that not only did he laugh at what Jederon was doing to the woman, but also joined in the illicit act.
"Apart from that, you boasted of your actions to the police and then came to Court and lied and wasted the Court's time," the judge said.
Lake was then sentenced to serve 21 years behind bars while Jederon was given a nominal sentence of 15 years, which was reduced by the mandatory one third. He will instead be serving 10 years.
The time they spent on remand would be deducted from all sentences. However, their sentences are to run concurrently.
According to the facts of the case, sometime after 9:00 p.m. on April 26, 2011 while a woman was conversing with a female friend on the verandah of her home at Atlantic View, Conaree, Lake and Jederon, armed with guns, accosted them and demanded money.
The men forced the women into the house, took them into one of the bedrooms and tied their hands behind their backs and one of the convicts searched the house to ensure no one else was there.
They then proceeded to rummage through some drawers in the bedroom in search of money and other valuables, but were unsuccessful.
Consequently, they took the visiting friend back to the verandah where she had left her handbag and removed an undisclosed amount of cash from it. They also robbed her of some pieces of jewellery she was wearing as well as her cellular phone.
The cash and items stolen amounted to over $45 000.
The homeowner was sexually abused and the criminals also relieved her of her cellular phone.
They then escaped with one of the women’s vehicle, which the police later found abandoned on the West Basseterre By-Pass Road in Buckley’s.
Less than 12 hours after the incident, police arrested and charged Jederon for possessing a firearm and a quantity of ammunition.
