Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter

A man who chopped a man on his neck, partially severing it, was on Friday sentenced by Justice Bryan Sykes to nine years' imprisonment for manslaughter.

Paul Davis, of Milen District near Exchange, St Ann, was charged with murder, but a Home Circuit Court jury convicted him of the lesser offence.

Davis was convicted on July 29 of manslaughter arising from the death of 35-year-old chef and taxi driver Ridley Hines, of Milen district.

Sykes had put off sentencing until Friday to get a probation report.

Some residents of Milen district had recommended to the probation officer that Davis should be given life imprisonment. Sykes said such a sentence was reserved for persons who would be a permanent threat to society. He said there was no evidence that Davis was such a person.

Defence lawyer Peter Champagnie asked the judge to be lenient with Davis, who is the father of six young children.

The Crown, represented by Joan Barnett, Crown Counsel, led evidence that on September 30 last year the men had a dispute at Milen district. Hines picked up a brick and approached Davis who then used a machete to chop Hines on the neck.

When Davis was arrested and charged, he said Hines was having an affair with his children's mother and was disrespecting him.

Davis said in his defence that Hines attacked him with stones and he defended himself.

The case was transferred from the St Ann Circuit Court to Kingston, because Davis said he would not get a fair trial in St Ann.

Davis, who lived in the United States for many years, was deported to Jamaica in 1998 after serving a sentence for drug offences.

barbara.gayle@gleanerjm.com.