The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN who “hacked” his ex-girlfriend with a knife when she forbade him from visiting her could serve 14 years in prison if he does not pay $4,000 in damages to the woman by the end of 2015.

D’nez Javon Young, 31, appeared before Justice Indra Charles facing up to life imprisonment concerning the January 23, 2012 attempted murder of Indera Thompson.

Justice Charles was asked by Young’s lawyer, Jiaram Mangra, to consider probation for his client whom a psychiatrist had found to have suffered from a brief psychiatric disorder at the time of the incident due to marijuana use.

However, prosecutor Patrick Sweeting said the damage done to Ms Thompson deserved no less than 20 years at the Department of Correctional Services, formerly Her Majesty’s Prison.

Justice Charles ruled that ten years’ imprisonment was an appropriate sentence when taking into account all of the circumstances surrounding the incident. While incarcerated, Young is to undergo psychotherapy before being transferred to the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre in the last three years of his sentence before his release back into society.

The judge then ordered that Young would have to pay $4,000 in damages to Thompson by December 31. Failure to do so, the judge added, would result in an additional 48 months being added to run consecutively with the ten-year sentence.

Justice Charles, before imposing the sentence, had noted a number of aggravating factors against Young in this case, namely the use of a weapon, the damage done to Thompson, the seriousness of the offence and the prevalence of such cases in The Bahamas.

The factors in his favour, the court added, were his lack of previous convictions, relative youth, the “great remorse” he had shown for his actions and a willingness to compensate Thompson, who has been unable to get employment since the incident.

“It’s an unfortunate incident because it left a woman with scars that will be present throughout her life,” the judge said.

The judge added that while Young losing his job on the same day may have triggered the incident, she was of the view that based on the psychiatric report, “if he had not used marijuana, this might not have happened”.

“The consumption of drugs (marijuana) can only have harmful effects,” the judge noted.

In October, Thompson testified that she broke off her relationship with Young and forbade him from visiting her.

However, she said, he came to her grandmother’s house where she stayed, and they got into a scuffle.

Thompson said in her evidence that Young grabbed the biggest knife in the kitchen and stabbed her in the head, face, chest and hand while saying if he couldn’t have her, no one else would.

Thompson has a disfiguring scar and a missing finger from the ordeal.

Young, in his defence, said he was relieved when Thompson broke off the relationship and had only stayed with her because of love for her son.

Young said he was hearing voices on the day in question, which kept telling him to go home, but he still went to Thompson’s house.

Young did not deny hacking Thompson about the body with a knife taken from her grandmother’s kitchen, but Mr Mangra said he should not be held criminally responsible by reason of diminished responsibility.

The jury, however, rejected the defence and convicted Young of the crime.