10 years for manslaughter

A 25-year-old resident of Old Montrose has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for manslaughter.

On Tuesday May 19, 2009 at the High Court in Kingstown, Kamara Richards, who was initially charged with the murder of Shaun “Meagie” Williams on May 17, 2008, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter when he appeared in court before Justice Frederick Bruce-Lyle.{{more}}

Justice Bruce-Lyle also slapped a five-year custodial sentence on Richards for possession of an illegal firearm. That charge will however, run concurrently with his 10-year prison sentence.

The facts in the matter are that the prisoner went to the “D-Stretch Bar” in Campden Park in search of the deceased. Richards claims that Williams, 20, of Campden Park, owed him $400 for a gun, which he had bought from him (Williams) but which was not functioning properly.

It was further heard that Richards went close to the deceased, held him by the neck and shot him in the abdomen. Other occupants at the bar wrestled the gun away from Richards. He managed to flee the scene.

After receiving the shot, Williams stumbled downstairs and ran to his aunt’s nearby residence before collapsing. He succumbed to his injury at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital.

Shortly after his apprehension, Richards told police that Williams’ death was an accident.

In a plea of mitigation by Richards’ counsel, Arthur Williams, he said that his client was returning the gun because it was not working. Williams added that Richards was only demonstrating to Williams, the ineffectiveness of the gun, when it accidentally fired the fatal shot.

Williams was the thirteenth murder victim of 2008.(KW)