Men imprisoned for tampering with murder witness
Eighteen months’ imprisonment was the judgement handed down in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday to two men who tried to forced the Crown witness in 2012 to change her statement in a murder case.
Thirty-one-year-old Mark Harrison, also known as ‘Mark 2’, and 61year-old Edwin Hibbert, also known as ‘Blue’, from a Waterhouse address in St Andrew, were charged with perverting the course of justice.
During a plea of mitigation made by attorney-at-law Paul Gentles on behalf of the men, he begged Resident Magistrate Lorna ShellyWilliams to offer the men a noncustodial sentence and to not take into consideration that both men had previous convictions.
The attorney told the RM the men had been in custody for one year, one month, four days, and 13 and a half hours.
He said both men had pleaded guilty to the offences brought against them and that they had not wasted court time through trial.
He told RM Shelly-Williams that both were at the court’s mercy and jurisdiction, regretted the incident, and were remorseful.
He explained that this symbolised the beginning of the rehabilitation for both men.
However, in handing down the 18-month sentence, ShellyWilliams stated that she would not grant the men a non-custodial sentence as the charges were grave. She also stated that she took into consideration the time the men had spent in prison.