High Court Urges Regular Reviews for Mentally Ill Inmates Facing Lengthy Sentences
March 2, 2024
"High Court judge advocates for systematic reviews of mentally ill inmates given lengthy sentences. Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell emphasizes collaborative effort to establish proper procedures. Case involves triple killer Roach."
A High Court judge has called for a system to be put in place to ensure inmates with mental health issues, who are given lengthy sentences, are reviewed on a regular basis.
“I think it is something that everybody would have to get together and work out how it goes because there needs to be a proper system with regards to who the judge is, who the prosecutor is or who the attorney is,” Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell said.
“The parties need to get together and set out a regime for cases and say this is the procedure.”
She made the comments as triple killer Ramario Antonio Roach reappeared before her in the No. 4 Supreme Court.
Roach, 22, of Ocean Breeze, River Bay, St Lucy, had pleaded guilty to unlawfully killing (manslaughter) Tyrone Austin on December 18, 2018; unlawfully killing his mother Joann Roach between January 18 and 21, 2019, and unlawfully killing university lecturer Sarah Sutrina between January 20 and 22, 2019.
He had originally been arraigned with their murders but pleaded not guilty to the capital offence. The State accepted the manslaughter pleas by reason of Roach’s diminished responsibility. (HLE)
