Chain grabber gets two-year sentence

A fisherman was sentenced to two years' imprisonment when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court yesterday for grabbing a woman's gold chain.

Carson Walker pleaded guilty to larceny from the person and being in possession of an offensive weapon. This is his sixth conviction, with the most recent being in 2018 when he received a one-year sentence at hard labour for robbery with aggravation. Walker, 33, confessed to Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague that it was his first time stealing a chain.

"Mr Walker, based on the facts, grabbing somebody's chain and the fact that you have previous convictions, you are going to prison. You understand that? That's the only prudent course any judge can take," the judge commented. But Walker pleaded that should he return to prison, his life would be wasted.

"Miss, me have thing fi do outside, me have me life yuh know, Miss. Me have me 70-year-old madda weh me affi a take care of her and dem tings deh. Me know me nuh perfect still yuh know, Miss," he said. Cole-Montague said that the sentence would be more than just a year.

"Miss, a just simple larceny me charge for yuh know. Miss, at least a year or six months me a look pon. Dis a mash me life. Me a 33 yuh know so when me come back a road, weh me ago do? Miss, look here nuh a just a mistake me mek," Walker pleaded.

He was then sentenced to two years' imprisonment at hard labour for the charge of larceny from the person. For being in possession of an offensive weapon, Walker was ordered to pay a fine of $3,000 or serve 10 days in prison.