BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - TWO young men who were scheduled to be sentenced yesterday (Jan. 30) had their matter delayed due to improperly prepared and late distribution of facts of the case.
Jesse Fyfield and Paul John had pleaded guilty to housebreaking, larceny and receiving stolen goods on January 14 and appeared yesterday before His Lordship Justice Darshan Ramdhani at the Basseterre High Court for sentencing.
They were said to have broken into a Shadwell home in September 2012 and stole approximately $45 825 worth of items, which included money, cellular phone, jewellery, clothing, perfumes and electronics.
The sentencing hearing began yesterday but came to a halt when His Lordship discovered that the unrepresented men were given copies of the case facts shortly before the Court was called into session.
Justice Ramdhani had asked the men if they were aware of what the facts stated, to which they replied in the negative.
The judge had also announced that he too had only received his copy five minutes after the sentencing was scheduled to begin.
Addressing the prosecution, he stressed on the importance of having the paperwork prepared and distributed in a timely matter, stating that he requested the facts of the case be delivered to the men at least one week prior to the sentencing date, providing them with enough time to review it and prepare themselves.
He then highlighted some inefficiencies within the documents and ordered that they be redone and completed by today, adding that the Court is the one that would be held accountable if there is any injustice.
Justice Ramdhani said that the facts differ for each of the men and should be separated so that it clearly states the circumstances for each of them surrounding the incident. He also ordered that they be presented with those facts in due time.
With regards to persons speaking on the men's behalf, His Lordship ordered that the relevant people be notified so that they could be present to speak to Fyfield and John's characters.
Justice Ramdhani then rescheduled the sentencing hearing for 2:00 p.m. next Thursday (Feb. 6).
