A High Court judge has sentenced a mentally ill man, who killed one person and injured two others on a “day of mayhem and violence” in the capital to 12 years and eight months in prison.
Justice Richard Floyd imposed the longest of the three sentences on Cornelius Kennedy, 32, following the death of 62-year-old Lanceworth Wilson, during the December 2, 2021, attacks. Wilson died of his injuries on January 5, 2022.
But Kennedy will spend 10 years and four months in jail for the killing after the court took into consideration the time spent on remand. He had been charged with manslaughter with diminished responsibility.
Justice Floyd also imposed a sentence of five years and four months on Kennedy in connection with injuries sustained by 42-year-old vendor, Cedric Codougan.
“The victim in this case was seriously injured. His facial bones were fractured and he suffered with residual long-lasting injuries, including visual impairment. “He lost his livelihood,” the judge said.
Kennedy was also sentenced to eight months imprisonment for assaulting Junior Baptiste.
The convicted man was granted a one-third discount for his early guilty plea on each of the charges and the sentences will run concurrently.
The court heard that Kennedy began showing signs of mental illness at the age of nine and was first hospitalised at the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre (MHRC) when he was 13.
The last psychiatric report, dated May 21, 2023, details his history of mental illness. At that time, he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and mild intellectual disability.
Justice Floyd also ordered that while incarcerated, Kennedy be assessed for and receive treatment and counselling for substance abuse, psychiatric illness and mental health issues.
The judge also ordered that following his release from custody, Kennedy is to be monitored, assessed and treated for ongoing psychiatric and mental health issues by the mental health centre for two years. Reports are to be provided to the High Court every six months.
Kennedy had faced a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on the manslaughter charge and maximum of 14 years for wounding and five for occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH).
The judge had described the events on December 2, 2021 as “an awful day of mayhem and violence” when Kennedy attacked the three people in the city with a metal pipe.
An autopsy concluded that Wilson suffered a depressed skull fracture, with bleeding in the space between the brain and the membrane that covers it.
The court heard that witnesses had observed Kennedy fighting with his brother earlier in the evening on the fateful day before attacking Wilson and the others.
Justice Floyd said that the facts of the case confirmed that Kennedy was known to have mental health issues before the attacks in Kingstown.
The judge said that while Kennedy later told police that he had drunk alcohol heavily on the day of the incident, no police officer indicated any observations of impairment.
The judge further noted that there is no record of prescribed medication or a failure to take any at the time of the offence.
In the pre-sentencing report, Kennedy provided a version of the events, telling authorities that he recalled that he had consumed alcohol and had been drinking heavily on the day of the incident.
He told the social worker who prepared the report that he had been imprisoned for about two years in relation to the incidents and that he had had a good relationship with both inmates and prison staff.
However, he viewed the time spent on remand as being wasteful.
The social inquiry report concluded that Kennedy is a threat to public safety and should have continuous mental health assessments and receive treatment.
The judge said that the goal of sentencing is to promote respect for the law and an orderly society.
“This was an awful day of mayhem and violence carried out by the defendant on random and unsuspecting victims. It must have shocked the inhabitants of the city of Kingstown,” Justice Floyd said.
“A man was bludgeoned to death on a busy public street, and two others were struck with the same piece of steel pipe,” the judge said, noting that the court was satisfied that Kennedy was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the offence.
