‘I am afraid of the young ones’ - Judge says she prefers to take her chances with a 40-year-old gunman

Senior parish judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague said that younger people appear more prone to commit certain crimes.

The judge, while imposing sentence on a 21-year-old man in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday, said she would take her chances with older accused persons.

"Personally speaking, I am afraid of the young ones, I will take my chances with a 40-year-old gunman," Cole-Montague said.

"I say that to say that gone are the days when people could waive youth before a court because the demographics are telling us that these are the offenders. On any given day, sit down with me from Monday through to Friday, on return dates, I don't have older persons coming in here. That is the age group I have coming in here for stabbing up people. I am guided by the empirical evidence that goes in a particular direction," Cole-Montague stressed.

The judge was asked by attorney-at-law Matthew Hyatt to consider a non-custodial sentence for his client who pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of property and simple larceny.

The court heard that on April 18 at 9:45 p.m., the complainant saw the accused man on his home camera, jumping over his fence and attempting to steal two cameras, valued at $44,000. The police were called and were shown the footage. The 21-year-old was later arrested and charged.

DENIED BAIL

On previous court appearances, Stewart was denied bail and made full compensation of $60,000.

On Monday, the young man told the judge that the three months he spent in custody was time for introspection.

"I've had a lot of time to think on the wrong that I did. I will cause no harm to this man, I can guarantee you that. If he feels threatened in anyway, I am sorry about that," Stewart said.

Hyatt added that during his client's time in custody, his grandparents succumbed to COVID-19. He missed the funeral for one, and the funeral for the other is scheduled for this Friday.

On the charge of simple larceny, the young man was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment suspended for three years with supervision, and for the charge of malicious destruction of property, he was sentenced to two months' imprisonment, time served.