Source Today Newspaper
GREAT BAY – Renard Mitchell Rene got himself in trouble while he was on probation following a conviction to an 8 month condition prison sentence on November 16, 2015. In March of this year, Rene was sentenced to a 1,500 guilders fine for making threats against a police officer.
Yesterday, public prosecutor Nanouk Lemmers asked the Court in First Instance to execute the 8-month conditional sentence the defendant still had hanging over his head. “He violated the condition s of the conditional sentence; now I ask the court to execute the term.”
Over protests of the defendant that his family would have a tough time without him the prosecutor said that they managed alright during his previous stint behind bars.
Attorney Sjamira Roseburg pleaded with the court not to send her client back to prison. “He paid the fine and he has a job. And you want to send him back to Pointe Blanche?” she asked the court to reject the prosecutor’s demand.
Judge Dirk Gruijters said that the defendant had done exactly that what he should not have done – get in trouble with the law again. “You received a stern warning and we have to be consistent. On the other hand it cannot be the objective of the criminal justice system to destroy things. You will have to sit on the blisters, but not for the entire eight months.”
The judge sent the 30-year old defendant back to prison for 3 months and rejected the demand for the execution of the remaining five months. Appeal against this decision is not possible.
