Brian Seymour who was last week found not guilty of attempted murder but guilty of felonious wounding committed on Leon Charles at Litchfield Village, West Coast Berbice, on February 10, 2016, was yesterday sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall in summing up the matter last week at the High Court in Berbice, pointed out that Seymour, 34, also known as ‘Hundred’, in his oral statement to investigators claimed that Charles pulled out a pair of scissors and then he picked up a piece of wood and hit Charles, while in his written statement he said he picked up the piece of wood and hit Charles and it was then that Charles attempted to draw the scissors.
Further, she said, that in the High Court Seymour claimed that he picked up the piece of wood and “chopped” Charles in his foot.
After the summing up, the jury unanimously found Seymour guilty of felonious wounding and not guilty of attempted murder.
The judge had then asked the accused, who represented himself throughout the trial, whether he wished to say anything before sentencing but he opted not to. “Nothing to say mum”, he said, after which the sentencing was deferred to yesterday.
Yesterday, before sentencing Seymour, Justice Ramlall stated that she took the nature of the offence into consideration along with the fact that a piece of wood was used. She also considered, that the piece of wood is not a deadly weapon in the general scheme of things. She said she considered also that the attack on the victim was senseless since it stemmed from an argument over issues at a party with relatives. The judge noted, that the accused should have exercised self-control especially since the victim was an acquaintance of his.
The judge further stated, that she also took into consideration that Seymour had no previous conviction and considering his age there is a greater chance for him to be rehabilitated.
Justice Ramlall then started Seymour’s sentence at 10 years after which 2 years and 1 month was deducted for time spent on remand, leaving his sentence at 7 years and 1 month imprisonment. She also ordered, that Seymour benefit from anger management counselling.
