Youth convicted for beheading good friend

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:00 by GxMedia

A 19-year old cane harvester who beheaded his good friend during a dispute over dorm chores at a private sugarcane plantation was Wednesday sentenced to 17 years imprisonment.

Berbice High Court Judge, Dawn Gregory Barnes handed down the decision at the end of the trial.

Royston “Slow Pork” Mc Allister also known as Junior chopped off Stephon Bacchus’ head on November 9, 2011 on the Moleson-Jackson sugar plantation, Kortbraadt, East Bank Berbice. At the time, both of them were 17 years old.

Mc Allister pleaded innocent to manslaughter.

The State’s case was that the killing had stemmed from Mc Allister accusing Bacchus of failing to assist with chores at their living quarters. Bacchus retaliated by slapping Mc Allister and laughing at him.

While they both retired to bed in separate rooms, the disagreement flared up again the next morning.  

Mc Allister denied premeditating the killing of Bacchus but that he had intended to broad-side him. Instead, he said the cutlass hit a door and then struck Bacchus on his neck.  He was arrested by police while walking on a road with the blood-stained cutlasss.

An autopsy showed that Bacchus died of shock and haemorrhage and fracture of the spine.

Defence Lawyer, Charandass Persaud supported his client’s contention that he had been provoked.

Justice Barnes acknowledged that there were signs of provocation but Mc Allister had sufficient time to cool his temper before using the cutlass.