Phillips pleads guilty to manslaughter

Come October 3, Kenneth Phillips will return to the High Court for sentencing in a manslaughter charge.{{more}}

Initially charged with murder, Phillips, 57, of Murray’s Village, pleaded not guilty to murder and guilty to manslaughter when he appeared at the Criminal Assizes on Wednesday at the High Court.

Phillips was charged with causing the death of his brother, Leslie Michael Phillips, on September 15, 2007, at Murray’s Village. Phillips died after being struck on the head with a piece of wood following an argument with his brother Kenneth.

The court heard that both men were consuming alcohol that night when the deceased began making remarks to Kenneth about the appearance of his girlfriend and his child. It was said that the deceased referred to Kenneth’s girlfriend as a “Crapo”. Both men left the area, but subsequently returned and the argument resumed. During the argument, Kenneth had a 2×2 piece of board, which he used to strike his brother on the back of his head.

Bystanders tried to revive the deceased by sapping his face but to no avail. He was later taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival.

A post mortem examination revealed that Phillips died as a result of a spinal fracture and blunt trauma to the head.

The defendant’s attorney Ronald Marks requested that a social inquiry and psychiatric report be produced to help in mitigation of his client.

Presiding Judge Justice Frederick Bruce-Lyle ordered that both reports be handed in on or before October 3, 2008. (KW)