Life sentence for murderer, 25 years for co-convict

Life in prison is the time George Thomas has to serve for murdering his friend Clinton Mannix if he does not meet the conditions for an earlier release after a review of his sentence in 30 years.
His co-convict, Joel Seraphine, who was sentenced to 25 years in jail for the same crime, will be eligible for a review of sentence after serving 20 years.
As High Court Justice Keith Thom sentenced the convicts, he noted the seriousness of the crime and the level of premeditation and planning that occurred before the 37 year old was tied up and gunned down.
Thomas got a longer sentence as the mastermind, and he also pleaded not guilty but was found guilty by a jury, while Seraphine got credit for pleading guilty at his trial. The convict explained that he actually intended to plead guilty much sooner but his lawyer, Sherfield Bowen, advised him not to do so and only agreed to give in at the last minute.
The conditions outlined for the review of the sentence fall under the Offences Against the Person (Amendment) Act 2013 Section 6 (3B) (1).
It was between November 5 and 6, 2009, that Mannix was killed by his three friends – Thomas, Seraphine and Andre Nibbs.
Four years ago, the latter had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to seven years in prison. He has already been released from prison because the time he had spent on remand was counted as part of his sentence.
In March this year, Seraphine pleaded guilty to the murder charge and soon thereafter, Thomas was found guilty.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)