The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was sentenced to eight years in prison by the court yesterday after being convicted of stealing a woman’s phone at gunpoint in the presence of her child two years ago.

Marcus Ward, represented by Roger Minnis, faced Justice Camille Darville Gomez for sentencing on a charge of armed robbery.

On July 14, 2022, Ward was convicted by a nine-person jury for this offence.

During her opening remarks Justice Gomez recounted the victim Marcia Hutchinson’s recollections of the mugging that occurred on February 7, 2021 outside her business.

“The facts are that on Sunday, February 7, 2021 around 9:30pm, Marcia Hutchinson was robbed at her business establishment, VIP Clothing situated on Dumping Ground Corner, by the convict with a handgun,” Justice Gomez said.

“She testified that the convict approached her and pointed a gun at her saying that ‘Give me the money, give me the money.’ Additionally after turning her cellphone over to the convict he said ‘Give me the money before I shoot you.’ Her evidence was that she walked over to her vehicle to retrieve her handbag and the convict began searching the bag before running off.”

The incident occurred in front of the victim’s 9-year-old child and Hutchinson’s Samsung A50 cellphone and $200 cash were stolen. Justice Gomez also said that the victim was in absolute terror believing she was going to die that day.

“When asked to describe her feeling during the robbery, Marcia Hutchinson said ‘I feel like I was gone to die. I thought this was my last time on Earth. I was so afraid for my life. I say this how my life gone end. I thought he was going to kill me, I thought he was going to kill me.’”

In reviewing the mitigating factors set out by the convict’s consul Justice Gomez stated that the convict had a clean criminal record prior to this offense and was of a young age (24-years-old) at the time. She also noted that he did not discharge the weapon during the mugging and that Ward is held in high esteem by family, colleagues and friends alike.

“The defendant has no criminal record and was at age of Twenty-Four (24) when charged with the offense, which is remarkable for a young man who lost his father at the tender age of nine (9) and grew up in severe peer pressure in a crime infested area.” Attorney Minnis submitted.

“Everyone interviewed by the Probation Officer still believed that the defendant is innocent, both relatives and non-relatives alike.”

However, the aggravating factors against Ward laid out by the prosecution for the crown and stated by the judge were that he committed the offense while armed with a handgun for monetary gain and in the presence of a child.

Before carrying out sentencing, while Justice Gomez stated that she found Ward capable of rehabilitation, she also said that neither the victim nor her child required counselling from her ordeal. She further said that her judgement in this matter should act as a deterrent to similar incidents in the future.

“It is expected that an individual being approached with a handgun would experience some level fear at the thought of losing their life. Therefore, this court must acknowledge the importance of sentencing with the purpose of deterrence. So that the offender, will refrain from committing crimes in the future and also as a message for those like-minded individuals to commit this or any other offense punishable by law.” Justice Gomez said.

“Having regard to the maximum sentence possible of life imprisonment, which would be reserved for repeat prolific offenders with aggravating features, and a low end of a non-custodial sentence, which I have already indicated is not an appropriate sentence given the evidence in this matter and the personal circumstances of the offender, I find that an appropriate sentence for Marcus Ward is eight (8) years. The sentence is to run from the date of conviction on 14th July 2022. The convict’s time served on remand must be deducted from the sentence imposed.”