Lauders man gets reduced sentence

A Lauders man who was convicted last year for wounding his brother-in-law with intent was given a shorter sentence by the Appeal Court this week.
Lennox James, who was sentenced to fifteen years by the High Court, appealed his sentence on the ground that it was excessive. {{more}} The Appeal Court sitting on Monday, upheld the appeal and reduced the sentence to ten years.
James pleaded guilty to wounding his brother-in-law, Noel Durrant with intent, an incident which has left Durrant in a wheel chair and without his left leg.
The court heard that on December 2, 2001, shortly before 7.00 a.m., James and Durrant were at a gap in Lauders. James, who was sharpening a cutlass, gave Durrant a warning to take to his brother and then assaulted him. But, Durrant turned away.
As Durrant turned away, James attacked him with the cutlass, chopping him about his body. Durrant fell into a gutter and begged for his life, but James continued his attack. Later, Durrant was taken to the Levi Latham Health Centre in Mesopotamia and then to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital in Kingstown where he spent 2 months and 22 days.