By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN diagnosed with schizophrenia and cognitive disorders has been sentenced to an additional five years in prison after his original life sentence for manslaughter was overturned.
Jerome Daniel Francois, now 30, was just 16 when he killed 61-year-old Manes Saint-Ilien at Lover’s Beach in Hepburn Town, Eight Mile Rock, on April 22, 2006. He later confessed to the crime and led police to the victim’s shallow grave.
According to reports, Saint-Ilien was fishing when Francois asked him for a dollar. When the elderly man refused, Francois then requested a fish. After Saint-Ilien again declined, Francois struck him in the head with a rock, killing him.
The next day, Francois turned himself in to police and confessed. He initially faced a murder trial, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter by provocation in September 2010. Justice Hartman Longley sentenced him to life in prison.
However, on December 8, 2020, the Court of Appeal overturned his life sentence and ordered a resentencing.
During the resentencing proceedings, Justice Andrew Forbes noted that Francois, who has spent over 16 years in custody, appeared remorseful.
He also acknowledged psychiatric reports diagnosing Francois with schizophrenia and cognitive deficiencies, though his condition remained stable with medication.
Senior Prison Officer Roderick Grant testified that Francois had not participated in rehabilitative programmes and suggested he should be placed in a psychiatric facility. However, he noted that Francois was never aggressive towards officers or fellow inmates.
Defence attorney Kendal Knowles argued that Francois was young at the time of the offence, came from a disadvantaged background, and had displayed generally good behaviour in prison.
He also cited his early plea, lack of premeditation, and potential for rehabilitation.
Justice Forbes expressed concern about Francois’s ability to reintegrate into society, given his lack of education, low IQ, and absence of skills gained while in prison. “The world has passed him by,” he said.
He also highlighted the absence of a suitable external facility to provide the structure and care Francois needs, previously calling it a “societal problem.”
Francois was sentenced to five years, retroactive to the date of his resentencing order in 2020.
Upon release, he will be on probation for three years, with mandatory monthly visits to Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre or the Rand Memorial Psychiatric Unit.
Failure to comply could result in an additional year in custody. He is also required to attend anger management and substance abuse counselling while continuing psychological treatment.
Francois was informed of his right to appeal the sentence.
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