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Man jailed 25 years for fatally shooting Sparendaam mason
Following his conviction two weeks ago for the 2013 murder of Michael Hamilton, a mason of Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara
MURDERED: Michael Hamilton
, a 28-year-old man was yesterday sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for the crime.
With the possibility of being eligible for parole after serving 15 years, Junior Anthony Henry was left in tears after trial Judge James Bovell-Drakes handed down the sentence at the High Court in Georgetown.
Hamilton was gunned down two corners away from his home. His killer had reportedly fled the scene of the shooting. According to reports, police investigations had revealed that Hamilton, 21, of Lot 128 Sparendaam Housing Scheme was shot twice on October 7, 2013 by a gang member with whom he had an ongoing feud for several months.
The facts of the case are that during the confrontation, Henry opened fire, grazing Hamilton on the leg. Hamilton reportedly followed his attacker to Second Street, Sparendaam, where he was shot dead.
According to a senior probation officer, Henry told her that Hamilton along with his friends used to threaten to kill him with a gun whenever he visited the community to check on the mother of his second child. The probation officer further told the court that Henry’s relatives said they made several reports to the police station, but they were to no avail.
JAILED: Junior Henry
Henry admitted to the probation officer that he acted in self defence. He said that he lashed Hamilton with a piece of wood before escaping. He however said that he was shocked after being informed that Hamilton died of gunshot wounds, since he was not armed with a gun. On the other hand, Henry’s lawyer, Lyndon Amsterdam begged the court to temper justice with mercy.
The lawyer asked the court to consider the circumstances of the case and the fact that his client’s actions were not premeditated, but rather spontaneous. Amsterdam reminded the court that Hamilton’s sister testified that he (Hamilton) was armed with a cutlass and was running behind Henry.
Though he acknowledged that the court must deliver justice to the family of the dead man, Amsterdam said there were several mitigating factors in favour of his client.
State Prosecutor Sarah Martin asked the court to impose a sentence that reflected the serious nature and gravity of the offence. The prosecutor asked the court to consider that a firearm was used during the commissioning of the crime and the fact that Hamilton was only 21 years old when he met his demise.
For his part, Justice Bovell-Drakes reasoned that the jury returned a reasonable verdict in accordance with the law. The judge stressed the fact that a young man lost his life after receiving gunshot wounds, which punctured specific organs. After imposing the prison term, the judge advised Henry to use his time in prison to reflect on what he did with the intention of improving himself.
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