Barbados Legal professional jailed on theft and cash laundering expenses
A Barbados Excessive Courtroom decide Wednesday sentenced a 67-year-old legal professional to just about seven years in jail on expenses of theft and cash laundering, though he had begged the court docket to not impose a custodial sentence.
Justice Pamela Beckles imposed the six 12 months, 151 day jail time period on legal professional Ernest Winston Jackman, who in Could, had been discovered responsible of stealing BDS$678, 414.75 (One BDS$=US$0.50 cents) from the corporate, HEJ Restricted between June 23, 2006 and March 5, 2007.
Jackman was additionally convicted of partaking in cash laundering by disposing of the sum between June 23, 2006, and October 18, 2011.
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“I’m asking that the court docket impose a non-custodial sentence within the circumstances. I once more sincerely apologize to the court docket, to the complainant and to my household. I’m asking the clemency of the court docket on this matter,” Jackman had mentioned throughout a court docket look in August.
He mentioned he had made “nice efforts” to repay the cash and was nonetheless “desirous” of doing so.
“To this point I’ve paid the sum of BDS$392,000 with the steadiness remaining unpaid. It’s my need to pay the steadiness of the cash belonging to the complainant. I’ve at all times supposed to take action and can take motion to attempt to have that carried out.”
However when the matter was referred to as earlier than Justice Beckles within the No. 5 Supreme Courtroom on Wednesday, King’s Counsel, Alrick Scott, representing the complainant John Huggins mentioned no a part of the excellent cash had been repaid as indicated by Jackman on the final event.
In August, the appearing Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Krystal Delaney, had urged that the Excessive Courtroom to make use of a sentence of between eight and 9 years as a beginning sentence relating to the theft and ten years for the cash laundering conviction. She mentioned credit score ought to be given for the time he has spent in jail which as much as July 28 was 96 days.
“There was a major breach of belief, the custodial threshold has been crossed and a suspended sentence isn’t applicable within the circumstances. On this case a right away custodial sentence isn’t solely merited however essential,” Delaney instructed the Supreme Courtroom.
She instructed Justice Pamela Beckles that among the many aggravating circumstances is {that a} important sum of cash had been stolen.
“It was stolen from an aged complainant. By the point he gave proof on this case he was 85 years previous. In his sufferer impression assertion, he talks about the truth that this cash was his retirement plan and he, subsequently, needed to make alternate preparations for his retirement when it was not forthcoming,” the appearing DPP mentioned.
CMC/