Court gives man eight years for attempted manslaughter | THE DAILY HERALD

PHILIPSBURG–The Court of First Instance found Stede O’Raphael Scott (40) guilty of attempted manslaughter on Wednesday, and sentenced him to eight years imprisonment.

The Court found it legally and convincingly proven that Scott was the man who had pulled out a gun and fired one shot at a man outside a bar in St. Peters, hitting him in the upper body.

Police patrols, paramedics and forensic officers were sent to the junction of St. Peters Road and Apricot Road just after midnight on Sunday, December 2, 2018, to investigate a shooting.

The victim, who was seriously wounded, was immediately treated by paramedics and taken to St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) and the hospital in French St. Martin for further medical treatment.

According to police investigations, the shooter and the victim were involved in an argument about the drug trade. The victim, the bar’s proprietor and other witnesses identified the shooter as being the man from St. Kitts who lived across from the bar, whom they knew as “Chucky”.

The defendant said his nickname was not “Chucky” but “Chalky”, but his St. Kitts passport was found under the bed in the house across the street and clothing similar to that worn by the shooter was also found there.

During the trial, Scott proclaimed his innocence and said he had not been near the bar that December day, which he said he had spent with his grandmother in Rambaud, French St. Martin.

No firearm or bullets were found at the crime scene and no technical evidence, such as the defendant’s fingerprints or DNA, was secured.

However, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, witnesses had provided accurate descriptions of the shooter, whom they had positively identified on police photographs.

The Prosecutor considered attempted manslaughter proven and demanded eight years for the crime.

Attorney-at-law Shaira Bommel maintained her client’s innocence during the trial and said there was insufficient evidence in the case file to regard her client as the perpetrator. She had asked for Scott’s acquittal.

“The suspect is guilty of attempted manslaughter … this is a serious fact, and the fact that the victim, who was shot in his upper body, did not die as a result of the actions of the suspect, is a very lucky circumstance, but certainly not one that is due to the suspect.

“In addition, the accused had a loaded firearm on the public road, and he threatened a friend of the victim when he tried to appease the situation.

“The defendant has caused a great deal of damage with this act and there is no other way to respond to such misconduct than with an unconditional imprisonment of considerable duration,” the Court said in its verdict.

Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/92461-court-gives-man-eight-years-for-attempted-manslaughter

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