By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net    

A FORMER death row inmate was resentenced to 35 years in prison yesterday for a 1990 murder.

Ricardo Farrington, 59, fatally shot Raynard Richardson on May 15, 1990 in Klonaris Acres.

Farrington shot the victim in the head with a shotgun after Richardson and another man circled him on their bicycles. He claimed he believed Richardson was trying to rob him.

After the incident, Farrington told police that the deceased refused to get off his bike, saying: “so I just shot him in his head...”

Although the stolen bicycle was never recovered, Farrington led police to where he had hidden the gun.

He was convicted of murder on November 30, 1992. However, in 1996, the Privy Council commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment due to delays in carrying out the punishment.

In 2021, the Privy Council ruled that the mandatory death penalty was unconstitutional, resulting in Farrington being resentenced by the Supreme Court.

On March 24, the court ordered a resentencing. He was released on bail while awaiting the hearing, which took place on May 28, during which time he was fitted with an electronic monitoring device.

In reviewing the case, Senior Justice Cheryl Grant Thompson said Farrington had yet to show remorse for his actions.

However, she noted that he had admitted the offence to police and participated in several rehabilitative programmes during his 34 years and six months in custody. There was no record of misconduct, and he had assisted with prison maintenance.

Prosecutors recommended that Farrington be resentenced to between 40 and 45 years.

In mitigation, his attorney, Sonia Timothy Knowles, said her client is employed and described him as a humble, mature, polite, and punctual man.

While Justice Grant Thompson called the murder heinous, she said the sentence should allow Farrington further opportunity for rehabilitation, adding that he appeared to have learnt his lesson.

Following his release upon completing his 35-year sentence, Farrington will be placed on a five-year probation.

Any breach of his probation will result in a two-year prison term. He will continue to be considered for construction work while in custody.

Karine MacVean served as the prosecutor.