“Physical abuse and gender-based violence should have no role to play in relationships and even if those relationships were crumbling, the simple solution is to simply walk away,” Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds said yesterday.
“If there are issues then just leave, and leave everyone with their life and limbs,” the judge added while sentencing 62-year-old Leonard Antoine, who was charged with the attempted murder of his estranged wife on Carnival Sunday in 2015.
The woman was chopped multiple times to the face, head, and hands after Antoine saw her in the company of another man after their 20-year marriage had ended.
Antoine and the woman have three adult children together.
Antoine’s attorney and those for the State had arrived at a plea deal agreeing that the prosecution would recommend a lesser sentence should he plead guilty to the offense.
The agreement was accepted and Antoine, a former security guard, elected to enter a guilty plea. As part of the agreement, a charge of the wounding of intent against him was not pursued by the prosecution.
While the judge accepted that the appropriate starting point in sentencing as suggested by both the defense and prosecution should be 16 years’ hard labor, several deductions were made, leaving Antoine to serve just two more years and seven months behind bars.
First off, he received a one-year deduction for not committing any infractions while incarcerated and another deduction of five years for his guilty plea.
In addition, the time he had already served on remand since 2015 awaiting trial was deducted.
Ten-year protection order
In passing the sentence, Justice Ramsumair-Hinds ordered that from yesterday’s date, a protection order will be in place for the next ten years that would require Antoine to make absolutely no contact with the woman when he is released from prison.
She pointed out that at the time of the offense there was another protection order in place that was breached.
The judge warned Antoine that upon his release, severe consequences would follow if he were to breach the new protection order in any way.
Earlier in the proceedings, Antoine apologized to the woman, who was present in the virtual courtroom.
He expressed remorse, saying if he could have traveled to the past he would not have acted the way he did on the day in question.
Antoine said he was also remorseful for all the pain, suffering, and loss of earnings the woman had to endure because of his action.
“If I could have compensated you, I would, but I can’t because of my present situation,” he said.
However, Antoine said one of the reasons why he acted the way he did was because he had also suffered abuse at the hands of the woman.
This part of his apology did not sit well with the judge, who said there is no room for blaming the victim.
The State’s case was that on Carnival Sunday 2015, in Point Fortin, Antoine saw the woman leaving her home with another man and ran into her with his car.
He then pulled out a knife and cutlass and began chopping her.
During the ordeal, he threatened to murder her. He was chased by a group of residents and later handed over to the police.
The knife and cutlass were also retrieved.
The State was represented by attorney Ravita Persad-Maharaj, while Antoine was represented by Adaphia Trancoso-Ribero.