“I would never make that mistake again” – man jailed 3 years for felonious wounding

A 32-year-old man of New Found Out Village, Essequibo River, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for an attack in 2022 that left a boat captain permanently injured and unable to work.
Stephen Rodrigues was sentenced last week at the High Court in Essequibo by Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif, following his conviction for felonious wounding. The court ordered that the time already spent in custody be deducted from the sentence.
In addition to the custodial term, Justice Chandra-Hanif directed prison authorities to ensure that Rodrigues successfully completes both an alcohol rehabilitation programme and an anger management programme before the end of his incarceration.

Permanently injured
The offence relates to a December 20, 2022, attack at Foul Mouth, Essequibo River, during which Rodrigues chopped George Braithwaite, then a boat captain, and his wife Lynette Braithwaite.
George Braithwaite, now 62 years old, addressed the court through information presented during the proceedings, detailing the long-term physical, emotional and economic consequences of the attack on himself and his family.
At the time of the incident, Braithwaite was an active boat captain. However, he told the court that his mobility has since been severely compromised, leaving him unable to lift weights or resume his occupation. As a result, he is currently unemployed.
To survive, Braithwaite explained that he now relies on fishing and small-scale cash crop farming to support himself and his wife. The court was also told that Lynette Braithwaite remains partially incapacitated due to the injuries she sustained during the same incident, compounding the family’s hardship.
According to facts presented by the prosecution, the incident arose out of what was described as a misunderstanding. During the altercation, Rodrigues brutally chopped both victims about their bodies using a cutlass.
The injured couple was initially rushed to the Bartica Regional Hospital, but due to the severity of their wounds, they were later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for advanced medical treatment.
Following the attack, Rodrigues went into hiding and remained on the run for several weeks. He was eventually apprehended by police in January 2023 and subsequently charged.

Conviction
Rodrigues was initially placed on trial for attempted murder. However, after hearing the evidence, a jury returned a verdict of guilty on the lesser offence of felonious wounding.
The court also heard Rodrigues had previously been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for felonious wounding in relation to injuries inflicted on Lynette Braithwaite, arising out of the same incident.
The prosecution was led by State Counsel Caressa Henry, while Rodrigues was represented by attorney L. N. Dindayal.
In a plea to the court prior to sentencing, Rodrigues expressed remorse for his actions and appealed for leniency. “I am very sorry for everything,” he told the court, adding that he deeply regretted how the events unfolded. “I know it was my mistake. I am a changed person today.”
Rodrigues claimed that the two years he had already spent in prison had transformed his life. He told the court that while incarcerated at Camp Street Prison, he gave his life to Christ and served as a pastor.
He further explained that he is the father of three young children, aged seven, three and one, and pleaded with the court to show mercy. Rodrigues also stated that he had sought forgiveness from the Braithwaite family, explaining that he attends the same church and had personally apologised to them. “I would never make that mistake again,” he said.
In delivering her ruling, Justice Chandra-Hanif emphasised the seriousness of violent offences and the need for accountability, while carefully weighing the mitigating factors advanced by the defence against the aggravating circumstances highlighted by the prosecution.
Justice Chandra-Hanif indicated that the sentence was intended not only as punishment but also as an opportunity for rehabilitation.
In this regard, the court ordered Rodrigues to mandatorily attend Alcoholics Anonymous programmes, after a probation report identified alcohol abuse as the root cause of his involvement in the attack.
He was also directed to participate in anger management counselling to help him better regulate his emotions and reintegrate responsibly into society upon release.