A 21-year-old mechanic from Couva has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for kidnapping the estranged mother of his child and stealing her car, earlier this year.
Sheldon Doodnath, of Carolina Village, Couva, was convicted of the two offences by a nine-member jury before Justice Lisa Ramsumair Hinds at the O’Meara Judicial Complex in Arima, last Wednesday and was sentenced on Monday.
Doodnath was accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend in January when he went to meet her at her Gasparillo home to drop off money.
The woman, who had just arrived home from work, claimed that Doodnath got into the driver’s seat and drove off with her and her son inside.
She claimed that she waited for him to slow down and she jumped out of the moving vehicle with their son in her arms.
Doodnath abandoned the car at the side of the road after it reportedly began to overheat. He then went to the house he shared with his father before surrendering to the police.
Doodnath testified in his defence and denied any wrongdoing. He claimed that the victim permitted him to take a short drive with his son and later made a false report to the police.
In deciding on the appropriate sentences for Doodnath, Justice Ramsumair-Hinds began with a starting point of 12 years for kidnapping and 10 years for larceny of the car.
She then gave a two-year discount on the sentences based on the fact that Doodnath had a clean criminal record before being charged.
As Justice Ramsumair-Hinds ordered that the sentences run concurrently, Doodnath is expected to be released after serving the larger of the two.
Justice Ramsumair-Hinds did not factor in evidence given by the victim after State prosecutors closed their case.
The victim claimed that last month, Doodnath visited her home and argued with her leading him to be charged. She claimed that Doodnath briefly choked her before leaving.
Doodnath returned to the witness box. He denied any wrongdoing as he claimed that she visited his home to reconcile their relationship and he refused.
“She keep saying she want to talk and drop this matter ... I keep telling her leave because I could get in serious trouble and I don’t want any part of it(sic),” he said.
Justice Ramsumair-Hinds noted that the claims over the latest incident with the couple could not be considered in his sentencing as it allegedly occurred after he was charged.
The judge noted that Doodnath’s case was the first to go on trial based on the provisions of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Amendment Act (AJIPAA), which was proclaimed in December, last year.
The legislation addresses systemic delays in the criminal justice system by replacing protracted preliminary enquiries before magistrates with sufficiency hearings before High Court Masters.
Doodnath’s sufficiency hearing was completed in April and his case was placed on Justice Ramsumair-Hinds’ docket leading to it being determined in record time.
In passing the sentence, Justice Ramsumair-Hinds noted that the speedy determination of Doodnath’s case meant that he would serve almost his entire sentence as a convicted prisoner and not as a remand prisoner as with most accused before the criminal justice system.
She recommended that Doodnath participate in anger management courses while serving his sentence.
“If not managed properly, the past is likely to repeat itself,” she added.
Doodnath was represented by Brian Baig, while Charmaine Samuel and Gilliana Guy represented the State.
