By Tahna Weston
Jnoure Craig returns to court today to find out his fate after the matter was adjourned when he appeared in the High Court on Friday.
Craig was convicted on October 18 this year for the February 12, 2017 murder of Amlack Lambert.
During his sentencing hearing, the prosecution told the court that, based on the evidence, there was a number of aggravating factors which should be considered in passing sentence.
It was noted that Lambert was vulnerable having been born with a condition which impaired his vision. Craig also has a previous conviction, albeit not of a similar nature.
His attorney Wendel Alexander told the court that Craig’s previous conviction was not related to any acts of violence; it was for possession of cocaine.
Alexander, who did not agree with the jury’s decision, said he has to accept it pending an appeal.
“I will appeal; I for one think the jury got it wrong. But I am asking the court to exercise all possible leniency and mercy.
“He [the convict] has made every effort to change his life around. It’s the wrong person in prison. He is not in any gang. He has not been involved in any acts of violence since his last conviction for drugs. He has not been in any issue with the police,” Alexander said.
He added that it was hard for his client, the 37-year-old father of five children — aged 3 to 18 — to understand the verdict.
“No murder can be justified. All murders are gruesome. But I myself have an issue with the verdict,” the attorney reiterated.
Justice Ann-Marie Smith noted that she was going to use 30 years as the starting point; however, it was increased based on the aggravating factors, and Smith also took into account the deceased being vulnerable due to his impaired vision.
She also pointed out that Lambert, who was shot once to the upper back and died as a result of massive blood loss, was not armed at the time of the offence.
The victim impact report quoted the family of the deceased expressing their heartbreak and how much they miss him.
Family members said Lambert’s death had left a deep void and that his mother died very shortly after the incident.
Lambert, in spite of his disability, was described as a very productive member of society who did various jobs and helped others.
Another aggravating factor which the judge took into account was that Craig has had no expression of remorse and still maintains his innocence.
Time spent on remand was also being taken into account, and it was noted that Craig spent 930 days on remand.
However, before Justice Smith passed sentence, Alexander asked that time spent on remand be considered a mitigating factor in favour of the convict, based on a recent Court of Appeal ruling.
There was some contention as to the time Craig had been in prison as he was apparently remanded on March 12, 2017, was subsequently convicted for drug possession and was sentenced to serve time. Apparently he was also granted bail at some point.
Based on this, the court adjourned the matter in order to verify the time Craig had in fact spent on remand.
