Todd gets Court to slash 62 years off murder convict’s sentence
Attorney at Law Dexter Todd
Attorney at Law Dexter Todd on Friday won an appeal in the High Court in favour of Dellon Gordon, challenging the sentence of Justice Navindra Singh, who had imposed eighty-three years imprisonment on Gordon, back in 2014, after the accused was found guilty of murdering his reputed wife Natasha Johnson.
The appeal was heard before Justices Roxanne George, Rishi Persaud and Dawn Gregory.
Todd argued that the sentence was both severe, and not in keeping with the standards and sentencing guidelines recognized across the Caribbean.
The case was argued on that merit, along with other grounds that saw the court agreeing that the conviction of the accused presented an arguable case so sufficient to overturn the conviction.
The Appellate Court agreed that the sentence of 83 years awarded by the learned trial judge was indeed severe in all circumstances, and allowed the appellant to appeal the severity of the sentence.
It was therefore ruled that the 83-year sentence would be reduced to 21 years, slashing 62 years off the total imposed by the trial judge.
The court also heard that during his years thus far in prison, Gordon has utilized all programs provided by the prison that could see a different person reintegrated into society when his sentence comes to an end.
On July 4, 2011, Gordon set fire to his house which resulted in the death of Johnson, with whom he was in a common-law relationship at the time, and following an argument.
At the time of the incident, the woman, a mother of four, received severe burns to her body, and was rushed to the hospital where she eventually died from her injuries.
