Son gets 20 years jail for beating father to death

After a last-minute change of plea, Sophia, Georgetown resident Kwame Bourne was on Wednesday sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by Justice Navindra Singh for beating his father, Rickford Bourne to death in May 2016. The 39-year-old father of two was accused of inflicting the injuries on the 71-year-old man with a metal pipe on May 19, 2016 at ‘D’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown. During Wednesday’s proceedings, the prosecution closed its case and Justice Singh was set to sum up the evidence for the jury to deliberate on innocence or guilt.

However, in a twist of events, Bourne consulted with his attorney Maxwell McKay and elected to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. Bourne when asked to address the court said he realised that “certain things happened” and noted that he will try to be a better person.
Reports were that while being heavily intoxicated, Bourne allegedly struck his 71-year-old father to his head with the metal pipe after the man reportedly refused to give him money to support his smoking habit. After beating his father to the head, Bourne went to his neighbor and revealed what he had done. His sister, Aisha Bourne testified only Tuesday that after hearing about the incident, she rushed to her father’s home which is one street away from hers and saw him with wounds to his head. She told the jury that she rushed her father to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and he died four days later.
The court ordered that the prison service deduct the time Rickford Bourne spent awaiting trial. Earlier Wednesday, Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh informed the court that the cause of death was brain haemorrhage as a result of blunt force trauma to the head. Police Detective Constable Corwin Osbourne had earlier testified that when the accused was taken into custody and cautioned, he admitted to the offence. “My father came home from work. He walked past me; I

was watching TV. I took out an iron pipe and I lash he,” Bourne allegedly told police. When called upon to lead a defence, the defendant opted to remain silent and the prosecution at that point was subsequently disallowed from making closing arguments as the defence observed that there would be no closing address. It was after these events that the jury was recalled early and was formally directed by the trial judge to return a guilty verdict for manslaughter. Justice Singh in considering the 20-year sentence noted that the offender never denied hitting the deceased man. He also surmised that the offender was remorseful. Tuanna Hardy led the State’s case.