Woman gets 5 years for manslaughter

Dianne Baptiste, a 26-year-old mother of two will have to be content with visits from her children for some time. She was sentenced to five years in prison last week Thursday as the June Assizes ended. {{more}}

Baptiste pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. Judge Frederick Bruce-Lyle imposed the penalty after the prosecution accepted the plea.

Lawyer Arthur Williams represented Baptiste. He had been in her corner at the arraignment, the preliminary investigation and again at the trial.

Baptiste, originally from the North Windward village of Sandy Bay was charged with murder. Her indictment stemmed from an incident on the Northern Grenadine Island of Bequia on September 19, 2003.

Ezra Murray, a 27-year-old died at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital after an attack. He was being taken to a nearby clinic in the area of Port Elizabeth after having already been severely wounded when he was attacked for the final time.

He received several other injuries including three slashes to the throat.

Baptitse will have one thing in her favour however, and it is that the sentence runs from the time of her arrest.