Derek Achong
A San Fernando man has been sentenced to almost 20 years in prison after admitting to murdering a taxi driver during a botched carjacking in 2006.
Winston “Monty” Alleyne received the sentence from High Court Judge Norton Jack on Tuesday after pleading guilty under the felony murder rule.
Under the rule, the mandatory death penalty for murder is waived in circumstances where death results in the commission of a lesser criminal offence such as robbery.
In deciding the appropriate sentence for Alleyne, Justice Jack began with a starting point of 28 years before applying a one-third discount for his guilty plea.
Alleyne is expected to be released from prison in four years and 10 months as the time he spent on remand before he entered the plea was deducted from his sentence.
Alleyne was accused of murdering Adika Nicholas, of Duncan Village, San Fernando, on December 6, 2006.
Nicholas was plying his car for hire at Library Corner in San Fernando when Alleyne and two men entered and asked to be taken to Rousillac.
The following day, his body was discovered in a drain at Rousillac Extension Road.
When Alleyne was arrested several weeks later, he confessed to his involvement in Nicholas’ murder.
He claimed that he and two friends, one of which he was renting an apartment from, made a plan to steal a vehicle and sell its parts in order to help with their financial difficulties.
Alleyne agreed that his payment for his involvement would be not having to pay rent for that month.
He claimed that they boarded Nicholas’ taxi and while they were on their way to Rousillac, he asked NIcholas to stop the vehicle for him to urinate at the side of the road.
He claimed that while he was out of the vehicle, his friends attacked Nicholas and attempted to restrain him.
He admitted that he returned to the vehicle and held Nicholas’ feet as his two friends stabbed him several times.
They then threw Nicholas out of the car and into the drain.
The men got rid of their blood-stained clothing and took the car to an abandoned sugar cane field where they removed the bonnet, trunk, lights and other parts before abandoning it.
Alleyne and one of his friends were arrested and charged with the crime. They were initially convicted but won their appeal and were ordered to be retried.
Alleyne’s co-accused also agreed to plead guilty to felony murder but his sentencing was deferred as his attorneys raised an issue with the agreed facts in the case.
Alleyne was represented by Kelston Pope and Aaron Mahabir. His co-accused his being represented by Peter Carter, while Norman Peters prosecuted.