40 years for murder

“The court is of the view that the callous manner in which you shot the deceased in his head, your behaviour after the fact where you passed the deceased man’s girlfriend and looked her in the face without any fear of being identified, together with the brazen manner in which you shot the deceased on a public road, in view of members of society, makes you a danger to society and therefore a long custodial sentence is warranted,” Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell told the convicted murderer yesterday.

Barnett, of Regency Park, Christ Church, had been found guilty at a previous Session of the Continuous Sittings of murdering O’Neill Chase on October 5, 2019. 

He was represented by King’s Counsel Michael Lashley and attorneys Simon Clarke and Sade Harris, while Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale, SC, and State Counsel Paul Prescod prosecuted the matter. 

The judge noted that while the case was not one that would attract the death penalty, or attract a whole life sentence based on the facts, “there is no doubt that a custodial sentence was warranted”.

The judge explained she had considered the gravity of the offence; the manner in which Barnett executed the offence and the need for rehabilitation and consistency.

She said she had also considered that the case involved the use of an illegal firearm; that Barnett’s attack on Chase was unprovoked and “the callous manner” in which Barnett was shot twice in the head at close range.

The judge added that the firearm, which had not been recovered, was discharged in a public place, along a public road, “putting law-abiding citizens at risk”.

Justice Smith-Bovell said she had also considered the period of suffering the deceased had endured from the time he was shot on August 8, 2019, until “his demise” in October, that year, and “the resulting psychological and emotional effect of the offence on the surviving family members”. 

She said she had also taken note that Barnett had “failed to show any remorse”; that his pre-sentencing report had deemed him as posing a moderate risk of re-offending and that his record was previously clean.

The judge said while she could find no mitigating features in the offence, the aggravating and mitigating features relating to the offender balanced out and she would not be adjusting the starting point of the sentence.

Justice Smith-Bovell said there was some delay in the matter and deducted 180 days from the starting sentence.

She also deducted the 2 268 days Barnett had spent on remand and ordered him to serve the remaining 33 years, 107 days for the offence.

The judge also ordered him to enrol in developmental and anger management classes, as well as participate in all psychological therapeutic classes.