Killing a ewe goat valued $500 belonging to a fellow villager, by cutting the animal’s throat, one week ago, landed Campden Park resident Irwin Small in prison for five months on Monday.
Small received the penalty at the Serious Offences Court after pleading to destroying the goat, without lawful excuse.
Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne also ordered that Small compensate the owner Nahshon Neverson in the sum of $500 by February 28.
Small was also sentenced to two months in prison on each of two charges of using threatening language, in circumstances likely to cause a breach of peace.
Those are to run concurrently.
The Court heard that around 7 p.m on September 13, Neverson tied his goat in his yard. At around 7:10 p.m, he looked outside and saw Small cutting the goat’s throat.
Neverson’s father spoke to Small, but the defendant continued to cut the animal’s throat, resulting in its death.
A report was made to the police, the matter was investigated, and Small was arrested and charged. While in custody, he offered to pay for the goat, but Neverson refused, saying, “The matter is in the hands of the police, let the police deal with it”.
It was in response to this that Small told Neverson, and his father, “When me come out ah jail, me go kill you, and me go tell the Magistrate so too”.
Small, who was unrepresented, told the Court that animals were destroying his “things” for quite some time, and his action was in response to this.
“I see my rights now is to kill animal because I feeling the pain, and somebody have to feel pain too”, he said.
Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delpleche expressed his abhorrence with Small’s behaviour. He contended that Small’s use of threatening language in the presence of the police was a total disregard for law and order.
