Youth jailed for four years

Naptalli Diaz, who had been one of this country’s most wanted men, has been sentenced to four years in prison.{{more}}

The 22-year-old Walvaroo, Sion Hill man was found guilty of having in his possession a .32 revolver and a quantity of ammunition on Sunday, August 12 in the northeastern village of Fancy.

Diaz was wanted by the police in connection with several shooting incidents in the Paul’s Avenue area over the last few months.

Yesterday, Diaz appeared before the Serious Offences Court and pleaded guilty to the charges. In requesting leniency on his behalf, lawyer Ronald Marks told the court that the defendant had been hiding in the hills because he feared for his life.

According to Marks, on the day that the police saw him, Diaz had thought it safe toreturn to answer the accusations made against him as one of his rivals is now behind bars. Marks also indicated that Diaz had been given the gun for his safety.

Marks also said that Diaz’s life had taken a turn for the worse at the age of 14 when his grandmother, with whom he had been living in the United States, took ill, and he had to return to St. Vincent.

According to Marks, after Diaz returned to St. Vincent, his mother lost her house. He then had to seek lodging with relatives in the Paul’s Avenue area who are less than law abiding citizens.

In handing down the sentence, Chief Magistrate Simone Churaman took into account his guilty plea but said that in spite of the number of challenges that he faced while growing up, he did not make any attempt to pull himself together.