“I am sorry for what I did” – accomplice in taxi driver’s murder

…jailed for 20 years

A Demerara High Court Judge on Wednesday sentenced Seyon Kemo James to 20 years’ imprisonment for his role in the brutal 2021 murder of taxi driver Kenrick Trim, after balancing the seriousness of the offence against mitigating factors contained in probation, welfare, and psychiatric reports.

James, now 30, appeared before Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh after pleading guilty to the capital offence. The court was told that while James maintained he did not personally inflict the fatal injuries, he accepted responsibility for his presence and participation in the events that led to Trim’s death.
In delivering his ruling, Justice Singh laid out in detail the mathematical approach used in arriving at the final sentence. The Judge identified a starting point of 40 years’ imprisonment, noting that Trim’s killing involved violence, robbery, and the deliberate dumping of his body, factors that placed the offence at the higher end of seriousness.
James received a one-third reduction of 13 years for his early guilty plea, which spared the victim’s family the trauma of a full trial and reflected a measure of acceptance of responsibility.
A further four-year deduction was granted on the basis of favourable probation and welfare reports. Those reports described James as a generally quiet, compliant inmate who rarely caused difficulty while incarcerated and who had participated in structured rehabilitation programmes, including computer science training and planned family-reconciliation initiatives.

Remorse
Justice Singh also deducted 3 years after accepting that James had expressed genuine remorse. During interviews with probation and welfare officers, James acknowledged the gravity of the loss suffered by the victim’s family and stated that he regretted becoming involved in the events that led to Trim’s death.
Despite the reductions, the Judge emphasised that significant additions were necessary to reflect the gravity of the offence. Justice Singh added two years for James’s involvement in the crime, pointing out that although James claimed he did not stab the victim, he was present during the attack, remained with the principal offender, and later fled the scene.
An additional three years were imposed after the court considered the victim impact statements, which detailed the devastating emotional and financial consequences suffered by Trim’s family.
Trim was the sole breadwinner of his household. Evidence before the court revealed that following his death, one of his minor children was forced to discontinue schooling due to financial hardship, while his granddaughter had to be transferred from a private to a public school. Trim’s widow later resorted to selling food from her home to support the family.
After balancing all aggravating and mitigating factors, Justice Singh ruled that James should serve 20 years’ imprisonment, inclusive of the time he has already spent in custody.
“As such, the accused is sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, to be served less the period already spent incarcerated,” the Judge ruled.
Kenrick Trim, a 53-year-old taxi driver of the Belfield Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara, was found dead on June 31, 2021, at the end of a cul-de-sac in Ogle. His body was discovered lying in the grass after being dumped from a silver-grey Toyota Premio, which was later found abandoned a short distance away.
Investigations revealed that Trim had been choked, stabbed multiple times and robbed of his valuables, including jewellery, cash and a cell phone.
According to Police, James and co-accused Kenty Bacchus had earlier entered Trim’s taxi after leaving a snackette in Georgetown. During the journey, Bacchus reportedly attacked the driver, dragged him into the back seat, and stabbed him repeatedly before dumping his body.
Prosecutors stressed the seriousness of the offence, describing Trim as a hard-working taxi driver whose final trip ended in a senseless act of violence.
“That trip led to a brutal murder at the back of Ogle, and his belongings were taken from him after his death,” the prosecution told the court.
James, however, continued to assert that he did not deliver the fatal injuries and said his decision to plead guilty was influenced by his presence at the scene rather than direct participation in the stabbing.
When invited to address the court, James apologised to the victim’s family, stating, “I am sorry for what I did. I give my best condolences to the family.”
In his ruling, Justice Singh said he accepted James’s explanation regarding his level of involvement, noting:
“I believe him when he said he didn’t inflict any injury. I believe that Kenty Bacchus garnered support.”
The prosecution team was led by State Counsel Geneva Wills, assisted by State Counsel Christopher Belfield and State Counsel Simran Gajraj. James was represented by Attorney-at-Law Glendon Greenidge, while Bacchus was represented by Attorney-at-Law Audreanna Stephens.

Justice Singh noted that while James’s role was not that of the principal offender, the offence remained extremely serious, and the final sentence reflected both accountability and the mitigating circumstances placed before the court.
Accomplice
Only a day before this sentencing, 38-year-old welder Kenty Bacchus, James’s accomplice, was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment for the murder of Trim Sr, after finding that while the accused expressed remorse and entered a guilty plea, the brutality of the offence, his criminal past, and the devastating impact on the victim’s family warranted a lengthy custodial sentence.
In delivering the sentence for Bacchus, Justice Singh adopted a starting point of 40 years’ imprisonment for the offence of murder. From that figure, the court deducted one-third (13 years and 4 months) of the time for Bacchus’ guilty plea, three more years for expressions of remorse, and a further three years arising from plea negotiations.