“I do not want to see you back in these courts unless you have won some kind of award or have done something outstanding. . . I do not think the police want to see you again either. Neither will the blocks be seeing you again.”
So said Justice Randall Worrell to a convicted man earlier today in the No. 2 Supreme Court. The judge was speaking to Richard Alexander Alleyne, a 36-year-old Bank Hall, St. Michael resident who pleaded guilty last July to importing 419. 76 pounds of marijuana.
Alleyne admitted he was on board a boat which brought the large quantity of marijuana into Barbados, in August 2010.
During her mitigation previously, attorney-at-law Safiya Moore had asked the judge not to give Alleyne any further custodial sentence since he had already spent four prison years on remand, in relation to the current drug matters.
The attorney also spoke about Alleyne’s strong family ties, where his parents, siblings and other relatives had expressed their support if he were to be released.
When he returned to court today, Justice Worrell said he was in agreement with the prosecutor Elwood Watts’ call for “a structured environment’ before Alleyne could be released.
The judge made it clear that he would not accept family members ‘saying’ what they would do to help but that there needed to be a firm structure in place and someone had to be able to “take Alleyne in hand”.
That, along with several other things, have to be in place “before the court can think of the possibility of considering releasing him back into the community,” Worrell stressed.
He therefore asked that the family come up with a plan which includes enrolment in an educational programme for Alleyne. The plan must indicate when that institution will be accepting him and the subjects he will be taking.
Additionally, Alleyne must have work, an income and must keep from off the ‘blocks.’ He also has to be enrolled in a drug rehabilitation programme and the family must say how they will monitor the convicted man.
“If the family can’t put a structure in place, you know where it can be put in place for you,” the judge remarked. “I’m sure where he was, he was being controlled very well.”
“I don’t know if he understands and appreciates yet what that (his time on remand and his incarceration) has taken from his life and his six children,” the judge concluded.
Alleyne told the judge that he understands, since he has “come to the conclusion that blocks ain’t adding up for me Sir.”
His father also assured the court there would be relatives all around where Alleyne will be living in Gilkes Land, Hindsbury Road, St Michael.
“But you know you all were living in Gilkes Land when he was accused of x and convicted of y,” Justice Worrell reminded family members.
Alleyne has previous convictions.
When completed, the proposal must be given to the attorney who will hand copies over to the court and Principal Crown Counsel Elwood Watts by the time the case comes up again on June 5.
Attorney-at-law Marlon Gordon is also representing Alleyne.