Latest update December 3rd, 2024 1:00 AM
Dec 03, 2010 News
Seventeen-year-old Stephen Julian called ‘Ring Neck’ of 64 Line Path Skeldon, Corentyne, was yesterday convicted of manslaughter and jailed for seven years by Justice Dawn Gregory-Barnes
Jones, who was 15 when he committed the offence, was on trial in the Berbice High Court and was convicted by an all-male jury for the November 2nd, 2008 murder of his one-time friend, then 18-year-old Keron Caldeira, who resided at the same address.
Julian, who had changed his plea, pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter one week ago.
A Probation report was ordered and this was presented by Senior Probation and Social Services Officer Mitford Ward.
Ward in his presentation stated that Julian who was born in Suriname, lived with his mother Vanessa Julian and his stepfather. His mother had to return to Guyana because of financial constraints after she and his father had separated. He was just a year old. Julian did not go too far in school having to quit due to continuing financial difficulties. He soon joined his mother selling ‘plantain chips’ and ‘chicken foot’ and after awhile he started to work as a labourer with persons doing contraband business, earning $6,000 a month.
On the night of the incident he admitted that he was drinking alcohol.
Julian expressed deep remorse and promised to change his life around. He wants to be a law enforcement officer if given the chance.
Attorney at law Charrandass Persaud in a passionate plea asked the court to be lenient on his client. He stated that a life has been lost, but his client was only 15 at the time and he was growing up a good child.
The lawyer then sought to find a reason for the dramatic change. The attorney blamed the circumstances on alcohol consumption. He launched a severe attack on society for allowing youths (14-, 15- and 16-year-olds) like his client to consume alcohol and asked that something be done about the scourge, which is sweeping Guyana.
The judge before passing sentence stated that she took all that was mentioned in the probation report and the plea of mitigation by his attorney into consideration. She also stated that she considered that he pleaded guilty and did not waste the court’s time, but reminded the court that a life was lost. Justice Gregory-Barnes said at 15 she did not think that Julian was too young to understand what he was doing.
“You drank alcohol and a simple argument over a pair of boots turned violent. You lost control. Your violent actions led to the death of your good friend,” the judge stated, before sentencing him to seven years in jail.
Julian stood accused of murdering Caldeira, who was his friend, around 22:40 hrs on the aforementioned date after they had a misunderstanding over a pair of boots.
The state’s case as presented by prosecutor Attorney at law Dionne Mc Cammon was that on the day in question the two youths, who were labourers, were at a birthday party where a misunderstanding developed between them over the footwear, with Caldeira claiming that it was his and that the accused had worn it without his permission.
The two teenagers along with others then left the party where the argument continued until the youngsters were at their residence at 64 Line Path. In the ensuing confrontation a scuffle developed and the accused went into his house where he armed himself with a knife, which he used to stab Caldeira, who was sitting outside, to the left side of the neck and his upper left shoulder.
The wounded youth was picked up and rushed to the Skeldon Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The accused, meanwhile, threw away the knife and ran inside. The knife was retrieved and he was subsequently arrested and charged.
A post mortem examination performed by Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan revealed that Caldeira died from shock and haemorrhage, and severance of the carotid artery.
Julian, who was 15 at the time, was first remanded to police custody because of his age and had remained under those circumstances until the start of the trial.
Dec 03, 2024
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