A 41-year-old man from South Oropouche, who admitted to killing a 17-year-old schoolgirl that he allowed to stay at his home after she was stranded in his community, is expected to be released in a little over a year.
Anthony Lal, a former security guard, was awaiting trial for murdering Octavia Arlene Charles before he entered into a plea agreement with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in June.
Under the plea deal, Lal agreed to plead guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter and prosecutors agreed to recommend a starting sentence of 23 years in prison.
High Court Judge Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds accepted the joint sentence recommendation as she sentenced Lal, yesterday.
Justice Ramsumair-Hinds said, “This is not the worst of the worst that we have seen or can conceive. I conclude that the joint recommendation on starting point falls within the acceptable range in law.”
She gave a one-year discount based on the fact that Lal had a clean criminal record before being implicated for Charles’ murder and that he participated in rehabilitation programmes whilst on remand awaiting trial.
After giving a one third discount for his guilty plea and deducting the time he spent on remand, Lal was left with a remaining sentence of one year and four months in prison.
Stating that the final sentence was not excessive, Justice Ramsumair-Hinds rejected suggestions that Lal should be released before completing his remaining prison term.
“I believe there is a need for continued detention. The just desert for the atrocity is for him to serve the entirety of the sentence that was negotiated on his behalf,” she said.
“His release is imminent. I hope he uses the time to put things in place for his reintegration,” she added.
Lal was accused of killing the teenager on an unknown date between May 21 and June 2, 2011.
Charles, of Cap-de-Ville, Point Fortin, left home to attend church and was expected to visit a friend after.
She reportedly could not locate her friend’s house or contact her on her phone.
She was waiting at the side of the road for a taxi for several hours when she was stopped by a resident, who suggested that she spend the night by his friends’ home until the morning.
She agreed and the man reportedly took her to a house which Lal shared with a couple.
The couple claimed that they saw Charles enter Lal’s room before they went to sleep and did not see her when they awoke hours later.
Days later, burnt human remains were found under a pile of tyres in a bushy area of the community.
The bones were subsequently identified as Charles through DNA testing after Lal was charged with the crime.
During yesterday’s hearing, prosecutor Charmaine Samuel read a victim impact statement from Charles’ mother, Sharon.
Her mother claimed that she never recovered from her daughter’s death.
“I read my bible every day and every night. That is what I have held on to to give me the courage and strength,” she said.
Describing Lal’s actions as “the act of the devil”, Sharon suggested the punishment she would have imposed if it were up to her.
“If I had the choice I would have stoned him and beat him, but not kill him. I would torture him,” she said.
Lal was represented by Jason Jackson and Krysan Rambert, while Gilliana Guy appeared alongside Samuel for the DPP’s Office.
