A mentally ill man who would have spent four years more than the maximum prison sentence for the crime he committed was set free yesterday after spending over nine years in custody.
Terrence Prince has been in prison awaiting trial since he was charged in 2007 with unlawful wounding under Section 14 of Offences Against the Person Act which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Prince pleaded guilty before Justice Althea Alexis-Windsor to the offence on October 5. And yesterday the judge put him on probation for a three year period during which the probation officer has to update the court on his progress.
In coming to her decision Alexis-Windsor presiding in the San Fernando Third Criminal Court said she took into consideration among other things two psychiatric reports, a report from a psychologist and a bio-social report.
The judge said those reports assisted the court in assessing if Prince was capable of pleading guilty as well as an interview with a probation officer.
The judge ordered Prince “to be released on probation in lieu of sentence in consideration of a probation order of three years.”
Prince, however, was ordered immediately report to the Probation Office in San Fernando upon release and every fortnight for the next six months, followed by once a month.
The judge ordered the probation officer to provide to the court a status report with any recommendations on November 23. The accused, who was represented by attorney Rekha Ramjit, also has to report to the court on November 30.
The offence took place on July 20, 2007.
The facts of the case outlined by State attorney Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal was that the victim, Mohan Maharaj, was at a basketball court in Pleasantville checking a noise in his car when he saw Prince approaching him with a piece of iron pipe in his hand.
Prince shouted at Maharaj, “Yuh does put me in a cell I go buss your head here today.” Maharaj ran, but Prince caught up with him and struck him on the head with the iron.
Maharaj received a seven centimetre laceration to the back of the head. Prince was subsequently arrested and charged and remained in jail until his trial.