Child abductor gets 9 months off jail time

After admitting that he has a problem and needs professional psychiatric help, nine months of Myron Brazel’s four-year prison sentence was shaved off on Monday at a sitting of the Court of Appeal.{{more}}

Appearing before Chief Justice Hugh Rawlins, Justices of Appeal (AC) Ola Mae Edwards and Rita Joseph Olivetti, the convicted kidnapper told the court that he had a problem for the past 20 years and that he wanted to get rehabilitated outside the prison walls.

In 2007, Brazel was convicted on one count of abduction of a little girl.

The 50-year-old said that he has been in and out of prison since he was 19 and that he just can’t seem to overcome his problem, even though he said he has been serving the Lord. Brazel has previous convictions of a similar nature. He also said that he has a problem that he doesn’t know if he could contain.

Brazel further added that he has attended several anger management sessions two months ago, but that has not done much to help his situation. “I jus asking if alyo could do grant me a non-custodial sentence or even a bond so I could seek help elsewhere. I think the best thing for me to do is to give up my citizenship to this country and make something of myself,” he added.

In delivering the judgment, Justice of Appeal Rawlins said that the time Brazel spent on remand after his arrest up until his conviction should be taken into account.

Justice of Appeal Edwards also stated that even though the appellant had undergone anger management sessions in prison, it was not related to the offence in which he was charged for. Chief Justice Rawlins went on to say

that something can be done by the prison officials to look into the matter and let the appellant seek the proper counseling. “We propose that the appellant should have a reduction in his sentence by nine months. He has a serious problem and he has admitted, and the first sign of healing is admitting. You have a serious problem,” the Chief Justice stated.

In his response, Brazel said he was grateful for the reduction in his sentence. “I still don’t know if its something I can overcome, I don’t know if its genetic, and I think prison might have caused this problem,” Brazel noted. (KW)