Jobe gets 10 years for disabling woman

A man who severely chopped his common law wife about her body, causing her to lose her right hand and suffer permanent damage in the other, was on Tuesday sentenced to 10 years in jail.{{more}}

Presiding High Court judge Justice Suzie D’Auvergne handed down the sentence to Vermont resident Neville Jobe after he pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding with intent Mary Browne, also of the same address.

The facts read out in court by crown counsel Sejilla McDowall stated that on February 23, 2010, at about 10 p m, Browne was outside her home washing a pot when Jobe viciously attacked her with a cutlass. Browne had recalled smelling “a cologne scent”, but did not see anyone at the time.

The facts further stated that as soon as Browne made her way to the door to go inside, Jobe appeared and began chopping her repeatedly about her body until her right hand was hanging by a piece of skin.

The mother of five shouted, “Oh God, don’t kill me,” but her cries fell on deaf ears.

She also sustained chop wounds to her head and spent five weeks at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT last year, a few days after the attack, Browne disclosed that as the sole breadwinner of her home, she made ends meet by farming and doing “little small jobs”.

“My youngest child is nine years old and my oldest child is unable and is at the Lewis Punnett Home,” she said.

She also shared that she also takes care of her mother, and was “stressed out” thinking about what she would do now that her hands had been chopped.

Despite undergoing physiotherapy, Browne has not regained full use of her left hand and is now permanently disabled.

Mitigating on his behalf, counsel Carlos James told the court that his client did not waste the court’s time and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. “By way of his guilty plea, he (Jobe) has accepted full responsibility of the offence,” James submitted.

The young barrister further mitigated that his client turned himself over to the police; turned in the weapon and cooperated fully with police and prosecutors. James pleaded with the judge to apply a sentence on his client at the lower end of the scale.

“He has no previous convictions and is considered a virgin to the law…he expressed how terribly sorry he is and he has never had a violent confrontation before,” James further added. Counsel also made mention of Jobe’s 14 year-old son, whom he said Jobe has to play the role of mother and father to.

“The defendant appreciates the severity of the offence and a sentence to the lower end of the scale is reasonably justified,” said James.

Before sentencing the man, the judge called the victim to the stand and made her face Jobe. “Look at what you have done to her. That is your work,” Justice D’Auvergne pointed out.

“Mr. James has really pleaded…You have not wasted the court’s time and I will be lenient on you because there are mitigating factors,” D’Auvergne added.

The judge commended James for advising the defendant accordingly and not wasting the court’s time. “I must commend counsel for advising the defendant…there is nothing more counsel could have added.”

However, the judge said she could not minimize what happened to Browne. “Your lawyer has been very good, but I can’t not send you to jail. I wouldn’t be doing my duty…,” the judge added.

“It is very sad; No amount of jail time is going to bring back her hands. One must think before you go doing stupidness. That’s a piece of stupidity,” D’Auvergne added.