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Ex-security guard gets 15 years for manslaughter
Sep 23, 2011 News
Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire yesterday sentenced former security guard Rawleston Cummings to 15 years imprisonment for killing Lloyd Kandasammy in March 2006.
Cummings had earlier this month pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.
Prosecutors Konyo Sandiford, Zamalla Ali and Pritima Kissoon represented the state, while Attorney at law Adrian Thompson appeared for Cummings.
The judge yesterday started the sentencing at 35 years. In her delivery to the court, Justice George-Wiltshire said that she had taken off 12 years from the sentence for his guilty plea, another five were deducted because of his time served in prison, and three more years were taken off for mitigating factors.
The judge told the court that the sentence would act as a deterrent for armed guards, regarding the use of their firearms.
Justice George said that it was a clear case that Cummings’s action was ill-advised and the circumstances didn’t warrant the use of a firearm.
“A man is now dead because of his poor judgement,” stated the judge. “We have come to a point in Guyana where everyone uses violence as the first response.”
The prosecution’s case was that the victim had dropped his wife to work on March 25, 2006, and had gone back to her workplace shortly before noon. His wife, during his visit, had indicated that she wanted something to eat, so Kandasammy left to get something. The man ended up at the fast-food restaurant, Church’s chicken, located at Camp and Middle Streets.
Kandasammy was driving his green Toyota wagon. The man went into the restaurant, and the facts stated that an argument ensued between Kandasammy and one of the staffers.
He was eventually asked to leave the restaurant and he complied. Two security guards were outside of the restaurant conversing. According to the prosecution, one of the guards (Cummings) walked over to the passenger side of the victim’s car and shot Kandasammy.
The defendant in his statement had said that the victim had threatened to run his vehicle into the restaurant and him. However the prosecution argued that it was not an act of self-defence.
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