Foolish action lands brother behind bars

Michael Scott, the brother of Keyon Scott, was last Thursday sentenced to eight months in prison, after he tried to slip items to his brother at the Serious Offences Court.{{more}}

Keyon Scott, who had given himself up last week Tuesday after escaping police custody on November 10, was making his way through the court’s waiting area on November 16, when an officer spotted Michael trying to hand him a small transparent bag containing ‘high leaf’ tobacco.

The officer immediately arrested the man and placed him at the back of a police vehicle, as a woman who appeared to be his mother tried to negotiate her son’s release with the police.

He appeared before magistrate Bertie Pompey at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on November 17, charged that he “without lawful authority supplied to Keyon Scott, a prisoner, prohibited items to wit ‘Two Pall Mall cigarettes and a portion of high leaf’” in contrary to section 47(a) of the Prison Act, and Chapter 393 of the revised edition of the Laws of St Vincent and the Grenadines, 2009.

Michael pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, one day after his brother was sentenced to 12 months in prison for escaping police custody two Thursdays ago.

Attorney Vynnette Frederick, who was present during the trial, took to Facebook following the case to voice her opinion on the “excessive” sentence Michael had been given.

She said, “The maximum sentence is three years. The man had no lawyer and, rising amicus, I said something on his behalf by way of mitigation.”

Frederick further stated that Scott should appeal the sentence as being too excessive and seek bail, “because, as he told the court, he has a child and a “child mother,” for whom he is the sole support.

“I think the punishment excessive, although according to the Magistrate he wanted to “send a message” and I think it is a sad commentary on justice in this country that three people threw hot water on a young man disfiguring him for life, the evidence of the crime is on video… and I saw one of the three happily, animatedly in conversation, on the side of the street earlier this afternoon in all of his glory…FREE…AS A BIRD. #blindjustice…” (AS)