Friendship labourer sentenced to over 10 years for 2020 killing

A 30-year-old labourer from Friendship, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was on Thursday sentenced to 10 years and four months in prison for the 2020 killing of 18-year-old Daniel Amore, who was stabbed while trying to protect his family during a violent altercation.
John France appeared before Justice Nareshwar Harnanan at the High Court in Demerara after pleading guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. France was initially indicted for murder but opted to take responsibility for the unlawful killing of the teenager.

The incident occurred on March 1, 2020, at Section 20 ‘A’, Friendship. According to the facts presented by the state’s prosecution, the chain of events was triggered by a drunken altercation between France’s father, Andrew Haslyn, and Amore’s stepfather, James Dublin, who had been drinking together at a nearby shop. The argument escalated into a physical fight. Dublin’s wife, Melissa Garraway, intervened and managed to separate the men.
France, who had not been present initially, later entered the yard and confronted Dublin. He then left and returned armed with a cutlass and a knife. He struck Dublin several times with the flat side of the cutlass, prompting Garraway to step in again. During her attempt to intervene, she suffered injuries to her left hand.
Moments later, Amore intervened. France reportedly dropped the cutlass and ran, but Amore chased after him and managed to catch up. During the struggle that ensued, France stabbed the teenager once in the chest and fled the scene. Amore collapsed and died in his mother’s arms.
A post-mortem examination later confirmed that he died as a result of heart perforation due to the stab wound. France was captured several days later in Mahdia.
During the sentencing hearing, France, when invited to speak, told the court that the incident was not intentional. He explained that he had acted out of self-defence but accepted full responsibility for his actions. “I am sorry for what happened,” France said.
He pleaded with the judge to show mercy, expressing his desire to reintegrate into society and build a better life after serving his sentence.
His Attorney, Adrian Thompson, in a plea for leniency, highlighted that France had completed anger management courses while in custody. Thompson said the courses had a rehabilitative impact and urged the court to consider his client’s willingness to change.
The probation report corroborated the defence’s submission, noting that France had been a compliant inmate, possessed no prior convictions, and had expressed remorse by extending apologies to the family of the deceased.
Justice Harnanan, in handing down the sentence, said he considered several critical factors: the nature and seriousness of the offence, the impact statements from the victim’s family, the probation report, and relevant sentencing guidelines from Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) rulings. The judge recounted that France had initially attacked Dublin, causing a disturbance in the home. He then fled from Amore, who gave chase, and during the struggle, delivered the fatal stab.
Justice Harnanan set the starting point for sentencing at 25 years. He then applied a downward adjustment of 23 years after weighing the mitigating and aggravating factors. A further one-third reduction was granted following France’s guilty plea and demonstrated remorse. Taking into account the four years he has already spent in custody, France was sentenced to serve a final term of 10 years and four months.
France was represented by Attorney Adrian Thompson, while prosecutors Preeneta Seeraj and Abiola Lowe appeared for the State.