Life imprisonment for man who killed Linden bus driver

Jun 21, 2019 News

Twenty-six year-old Albouystown resident Kerry Cromwell was yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Linden bus driver Elvin Lorrimer.

Sentenced to Life: Kerry Cromwell

Lorrimer was shot and killed as he stood at the Linden minibus park in Georgetown on March, 21, 2016. His shooter, (Cromwell) had been convicted for the murder on May 28 last, following a trial before Supreme Court Judge Navindra Singh. Cromwell’s sentence was however deferred to facilitate a probation report
Prior to the handing down of the sentence yesterday, the probation report into the life and upbringing of Cromwell was submitted by Probation and Social Services Officer Maloma Bristol. While the report was not read to the Court, the officer faced a series of questions about the information she provided. Bristol was specifically questioned on reports which suggested that Cromwell had an alibi — he was reportedly at home at the time of the incident.
The officer said that neighbours claimed that Cromwell was at home with his daughter when the incident occurred. She said that residents of Albouystown also claimed that police would regularly target young men from the community because of the stigma of crime and poverty attached to it. Alluding to the new development, State Prosecutor Abigail Gibbs asked the officer whether she could provide the Court with the names of the persons to substantiate the claims.
Bristol said however that she did not have the names of the persons who claimed Cromwell had an alibi.

Dead: Elvin Lorrimer

She said that in hindsight, she believes she should have asked for their names.
Justice Singh then inquired from the officer whether she knew if any of the persons were willing to come forward and testify on behalf of Cromwell and why they hadn’t done so before. In response, the officer claimed that she did inquire of the residents of Albouystown why no-one had come forward with the information before.
Bristol said some neighbours told her that they really did not want to get involved in the matter and others claimed that they were waiting for Cromwell’s mother to reach out to them. In that regard, Justice Singh noted that the probation report was of no use to the Court. The Judge then invited Attorney-at-law Stanley Moore to address the Court on his client’s behalf.
In a plea of mitigation, Moore told the Court that his client is a 26-year-old father of two who had no brushes with the law as it relates to violent crimes. Cromwell had been convicted for narcotics possession in 2014 and for escaping from prison in 2017. Nevertheless, the Attorney asked the Court to hand down a sentence, which would allow his client to return and contribute meaningfully to society. Moore stressed on the fact that his client has two young children, who need him in their lives.
In answer to the Attorney, Prosecutor Gibbs asked the Court to consider that victim (Lorrimer) was also a father – a loving and supportive one, whose innocent life was snuffed out by a ruthless criminal, and his children were left to suffer.
In response to all that was said, Cromwell still claimed that he had not committed the crime. The man told the Court that he was at home when the shooting took place. He expressed a desire to have the opportunity to play a role in the upbringing of his daughters.
Taking all the circumstances into consideration and the fact that Cromwell failed to show remorse for what happened, Justice Singh said a life sentence in prison would be imposed. Cromwell would only be eligible for parole after serving fifty years in prison.
According to reports, Lorrimer was shot by one of two bandits on a motorcycle at the bus park. The 53-year-old man of 184 Carter Road, Kara Kara, Linden, was reportedly preparing to make his return trip to Linden, at the time of the incident. Instead, he was shot, and later died at the Georgetown Public Hospital while receiving emergency medical treatment.
During the trial, State Prosecutors Tuanna Hardy, Abigail Gibbs and Teriq Mohamed called over ten witnesses, including former Police Constable Terry Cummings. He had testified that Cromwell was positively identified by an eyewitness as the shooter.