THE Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) yesterday (Monday 9th June, 2014) affirmed a 4-year jail sentence imposed on convicted felons Paul Lashley and John Campayne by Chief Magistrate Priya
Sewnarine-Beharry on December 28, 2012.
The majority verdict was handed down by the CCJ yesterday, according to a statement from Guyana’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs Shalimar Ali-Hack.
The State was represented by Sir Fenton Ramsahoye, QC, in Trinidad and Assistant
Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms. Sonia Joseph at the Guyana Court of Appeal building.
BACKGROUND
On June 15, 2012, contrary to s. 229(a) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Cap 8:01, the police instituted the indictable charge of Break and Enter and Larceny against the two defendants/appellants, 23-year-old Sales Representative Paul Lashley and 2l-year-old Technician/Gold Miner, John Campayne, of 2 lap top computers, 2 safes, Gy$380,000, thirty thousand Indian rupee-dollar, Gy$925,000, US$2,740 property of Hemant Narine.
The offence was committed between Sunday l0th June 2012 and Monday 11th June 2012 at Industrial Safety Supplies Inc. in Georgetown.
After hearing the indictable matter summarily, on 28th December 2012, the Chief Magistrate, correctly, found both the applicants guilty and sentenced them to four years imprisonment.
The two convicts appealed their sentence to the Guyana Court of Appeal, which Court dismissed their appeal and affirmed the Chief Magistrate’s conviction and sentence on the 16th July, 2013.
They then applied for Special Leave to the CCJ, which granted them Special Leave to hear their appeal. The Application for Special Leave to appeal was heard on 18th February, 2014 at the Guyana International Conference Centre. Yesterday, the CCJ dismissed their appeal, affirmed
the 4-year sentence and credited the 2 appellants with 4 days that they spent on remand.