Constitution helps to reduce sentences of two convicted
david jones
A ruling was handed down this morning in the Supreme Court in the case of two minors convicted for murder and sentenced to life. Anthony ‘Zambo’ Bowen and David Jones challenged the constitutionality of their prison sentences before Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh, whose ruling today was among the last of his judgments before he demits his post later this week. At age fifteen, Bowen was arraigned and two years later, in August 1995, when he was seventeen years old, Bowen was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging for the murder. By October 1996 that verdict was successfully appealed and the sentence was reduced to life without the possibility of parole. Similarly, in 2001 David Jones, who was also seventeen at the time, was convicted of Lincoln Weston’s murder and was equally handed down a firm life sentence. Human rights activist, Senior Counsel Antoinette Moore subsequently took on both cases against the Solicitor General’s Office arguing that the penalties were handed down in contravention of Belize’s ratification of the Rights of the Child in 1990. As such the claimants, despite being found guilty, were not to have received the maximum sentences because they were minors when they were convicted of the crimes. It’s been fifteen years since Bowen was a free man; Jones nine years, and today the CJ again reduced their time to twenty-five years each for the crimes of murder. Notwithstanding the significant discount in today’s outcome, there was little comfort to Pamela McKay whose son’s case she said had been meandering in the courts for all those years.
Pamela McKay, Mother of David Jones
pamela mckay
“Well at this moment I’m relieved and happy but I expected something less because the Justice chanced him for all these years and now this is what we get.”
Isani Cayetano
“Go back over the crime that he was accused of committing.”
Pamela McKay
“He was accused of committing a crime by Bird’s Isle for the young man weh get killed for a mango. That was what he was sentenced to life for and he was sixteen years old at the time.”
Isani Cayetano
“A lot of years have gone by since then. How has the family been coping with this entire process and now having his sentence considerably reduced?”
Pamela McKay
“Well we were hoping for something better because today we felt good coming here to see that at least we would have gotten lesser years, that he would be coming out today or something only to hear that twenty-five years he’s getting which is good because you can be eligible for parole but then still, you know. We expected something better than this.”
Bowen, who is now thirty-two, will be released in 2020 while Jones who is serving time for killing a man over mangoes will be released in 2026.
You kill, you pay. No more exceptions in this country.
With HARD LABOUR????????????????
We hope………..
Maybe it is time to revisit the Rights of the Child Act because we cannot have the animals running the zoo. Since the Police have confirmed that the OG’s are using minors to kill rivals, we cannot fight & win with one had tied behind our backs. Let’s not forget these will still be young men when they come back to the streets & without rehabilitation there is no reason to believe that someone else won’t die over another mango or less.
Speaking of mangoes, there is a mango tree in front of St. John’s Cathedral, another one a block away where Racecourse, Albert Street & Cemetery Lane meets, the residents would rather let you gorge yourselves & end up sick than hit the floor each time they hear gunshots or look at another dead body.
How about interviewing the victim’s family? He was old enough to know what he was doing, he should serve the full sentence of life. Why let foreign countries impose their ideas of justice on Belize? This is an infringement on Belizean sovereignty.
Pamela mckay, are you ……. insane woman?
Quoting you: “Well at this moment I’m relieved and happy but I expected something less because the Justice chanced him for all these years and now this is what we get.”
What about the guy he chanced out of his life for a mango?
Your son David Jones should have been hanged by the neck till he was dead. But because the law failed to hang the animal sooner his time has been reduced to this.
No justice in Belize, which leaves us with nothing to believe in, nothing to hope for, and nothing to live by.
He supposedly killed a man for a mango n is one of the very few murderers who actually got the sentence he deserves, and it is being said its too harsh? ARE U SERIOUS? This is y our country is where it is. Jesus, y we gotta go back n rethink this ish. He never denied he did it. The issue isn’t the personal he killed or over what he was killed. No that’s too minor an issue, the problem is his age at the time right? I mean Omg 16 is way way way too young to know what he was doing right? These freaking people r something else. We call for harsher punishments but when we get it now it goes against the persons constitutional rights? What abt the rights of the victim? Didn’t that person have a right to live? I am greatly disappointed in our court systems.
antoinette moore you need to be put away for getting these murderers off you better hope none of your kids are next when they get out you should be put behind bars how can you sleep at night
i believe that these criminals should be hanged…they killed so let them be killed…what is wrong with the justice system????? those animals should be DEAD!!!!
This is scary…the criminals have more rights than the victims.
That is what has happened to the country and is happening all around the world. As the children rights came in we have been seeing more and more violence. Our ancestors had the right at home and we didnt see no child on the streets and acting violently or drinking. Young people have no respect now not even for their parents. Sincerely, I think that parents should have the right to discipline their children and then we would see more control on the crime. People should be punished for what they do.
I agree with u gies. ant-or-net should be put away how can she be so ignorant on the real issues, people like her are contributing to the problems in our society, we dont need these kind of people here get rid of her. yes how can she sleep, i hope she would be the one that a bullet riddle when she is sleeping in her water bed. but but just but until when the cookie fall from her jar then lets see what her reaction will be. seeminly we are nothing when we die, we have no rite to live. only the one that does the good deed…. come on mein.
mr prime minister why make law to suit you and your ministers to have forever glory with our tax money…… why not make laws or amend the law so that the everybody can live a peaceful life here in belize. you gies only do the things that concern u and clearly crime and poverty does not cause u all have good paying jobs and benefits. REMEMBER we put u all there and can take u out any time.,,,,,, wake up and smell the coffe… bum bum… rodwell was not close enuff eh?
These animals should have been put to sleep a long time ago. Paula Mckay have you thought for one second about the life that was lost & over how foolishly it was taken away?????
Rights my @ss…the criminals have more rights that’s why Belize di go to R@$$…hang a couple of them and you’ll see how the rest straighten up. Children’s rights?..the teachers that have to babysit these …… are getting their butts beat because the children can’t be whipped. These same children are the ones causing this havoc because they now think they are above the law. What happen to the RIGHTS of the hard working taxpayer??? F#… these rights because if the police can violate a person’s rights by searching their houses without a warrant but with just suspicion of drug and ammo then F#… the rights of these criminals. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!!!
UNDER THE UNIVERSAL LAW OF KARMA……………..Justice Will Not Be denied!!!!!!!!
WHAT GOES AROUND …………………..COMES AROUND!!!!
IT’S GOOD THAT THE CONSTITUTION IS BEING CHALLENGED………….. Now we know where the loop-holes are.
Maybe we need amendments ……..
EVERY BELIZEAN SHOULD HAVE A COPY OF THE CONSTITUTION!!!
There is such a thing as children’s rights n u know who’s children rights were violated? Andre Mahler, Eyannie Nunez n Little Janay who’s paralized! How abt fighting for their rights Ms self righteous lawyer? So mad at this craziness….
Unfortunately if these guys are let out they WILL kill again. It’s just a matter of time. Past behaviors predicts future behaviors. Minors at the time right? Well if you do adult crime then you should do adult time.
These thugs have no RIGHT……….it’s only RIGHT they serve life. What is the Constitution doing for lil Eyannie, Janay, and Andre? Where is their advocate to fight for their RIGHTS??????
Sometimes I wonder if there is corruptions in our judicial system. Is someone getting paid behind the scenes??