Handyman gets 12 years for manslaughter

Nov 24, 2017 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Joshua Payne, 44, of Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara was yesterday jailed for 12 years for manslaughter.
Payne was facing a murder indictment for the unlawful killing of Stabroek Market gold trader, Kelvin Caines called, ‘Reds.’ The incident occurred at Stabroek Market in December, 2012.
Caines, of Lodge Housing Scheme, Georgetown was stabbed to death in the vicinity of the market following a disagreement he had with Payne, who worked as a handyman at the time.
The accused was sentenced to prison by Justice Brassington Reynolds after he appeared at the Georgetown High Court yesterday.
Payne had previously pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter before the Judge. His plea was accepted following a psychological evaluation which deemed him of sound mind. A probation report was also presented on his behalf.
The report detailed the accused as having violent temperament owing to his upbringing in the streets of Georgetown.
In his plea of mitigation, Payne’s lawyer, Keoma Griffith, begged the court to consider among other things that his client came from a fractured family background since his parents separated when he was at the tender age of four years. The prosecutors were State Counsel, Lisa Cave, Shawnette Austin and Tiffini Lyken.
In her address to the court, Lyken asked the court to consider that the accused had attacked the victim because of an old grievance between the two.
She noted that on the day of the incident Payne had armed himself with a knife and later stabbed Caines, fatally injuring him. The Prosecutor held that the accused knew exactly where to find his victim since they worked in the same market together.
After taking all the consideration, Justice Reynolds sentenced Payne to 12 years for the killing. The sentence was originally set at 20 years but time was deducted for the guilty plea and the time Payne would have served in prison prior to the hearing.

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