Forty-year-old Kumey Bourne, who had been on trial for murdering his elderly father, was this morning handed a 20-year jail sentence after opting to plead guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter.
Bourne, who is also known as Kwame Bourne, had his trial commence yesterday (February 12, 2019) before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member mixed jury at the High Court in Georgetown.
According to the indictment, on May 23, 2016 at Sophia, Greater Georgetown, Kumey murdered his father, Rickford Bourne, 72. After consulting with his lawyer Maxwell McKay, Kumey decided to plead to the lesser offence, admitting that he unlawfully killed his father.
Justice Singh ordered that the prison authorities deduct from the sentence the years Kumey spent on remand pending trial.
According to reports, on May 18, 2016 Rickford came home from work and met his son who was intoxicated at the time and watching television. The two later got into an argument.
It is alleged that Kumey picked up an iron pipe and dealt his father several lashes about his head and body. The elderly man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he later succumbed to his injuries.
State Counsel Tuanna Harding, State Counsel Abigail Gibbs, and State Counsel Teriq Mohamed appeared for the prosecution which called a total of 10 witnesses, including police ranks, civilians and a pathologist.
