Man jailed for manslaughter

James Francois of Petit Bordel was on Tuesday sentenced to eight years when he pleaded guilty to manslaughter before the High Court.
Francois was initially charged with the murder of Charles Pierre, of the same address, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge. {{more}}
His lawyer, Stephen Williams, asked the court to be lenient in its sentencing, contending that he was provoked and threatened by Pierre.
Williams, in presenting mitigating factors, said his client pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the first opportunity available, he cooperated with police and gave a statement of what transpired on the day of the fatal incident.
He said his client was at a shop when he was involved in a dispute with another man called “Chaddy” when Pierre intervened.
Pierre later sustained cutlass wounds and died.
Williams said that his client was “not a man of a violent nature” and is not a danger to society. He said his offence was a “one-off transaction”, bearing in mind that he had never been convicted for any offence of wounding or assault.
Presiding Judge, Justice Frederick Bruce-Lyle said he took into consideration the fact that the accused pleaded guilty, his lawyer’s mitigations and his record which was unblemished but for one conviction.
Francois’ sentence is effective from the date of his arrest.