Chuck Attin back in court for sentence review

Black Immigrant Daily News

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FILE PHOTO: The Hall of Justice, Port of Spain.

TWENTY-eight years after he and another man murdered two women in Westmoorings, convicted killer Chuck Attin returned to the High Court on Wednesday for a review of his sentence.

However, it was adjourned to November 2, since his attorneys only filed submissions on Wednesday morning on whether he is fit to be released. They have until Friday to serve the submission.

Justice Hayden St Clair-Douglas, who has to review Attin’s sentence, said four of five reports he previously ordered have been made available to the court.

He had asked for a comprehensive report from the prison detailing Attin’s incarceration for the past 27 years in relation to his behaviour, health and general deportment. He also asked for reports from the prison’s chaplain and medical officer on his general state of health. Included in the judge’s order were a bio-social report and a psychological assessment of Attin’s mental state and prognosis for the future.

Only one of the reports is outstanding and the judge said he would follow up on that after Attin pointed it out.

Attin was one of the youngest murderers convicted, at just 15, in 1997 for the murders of Candace Scott, 23, and Karen Sa Gomes, 31, in 1994.

Attin, formerly of Nile Street, Cocorite, was initially sentenced by Justice Lionel Jones to be detained at the State’s pleasure, but this was later challenged in a constitutional motion and the law was changed so that child murderers, who could not face the death penalty because of their age, would be detained at the court’s pleasure, with periodic reviews.

In 2004, Justice Herbert Volney sentenced him to a minimum term of 25 years, after which he would return to court for a review of his sentence.

Volney’s ruling was partly upheld by the Court of Appeal, which ruled the 25-year punitive element of the sentence was not excessive, having regard to the brutality of the case, but that the sentence should come up for review before the expiration of the term.

Attin’s last review was in 2015, also before St Clair-Douglas, when it was determined he was not ready to be released, since he had not availed himself of the various reintegration programmes offered at the prison.

“Clearly you have changed, but the real question is by how much…Releasing a man with no life skills who engaged in a serious crime is not something any court can take lightly,” the judge said in 2015.

He said then that he believed Attin was not fully prepared to be reintroduced into society at that time, although he had made some improvement and had expressed remorse over his actions.

Another man, Noel Seepersad, was also convicted of killing the women and was sentenced to hang. He appealed his conviction, but his petition to the Privy Council for special leave was dismissed.

Attin is represented by attorneys Daniel Khan and Arissa Maharaj. Maria Lyon-Edwards represented the State.

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