Barbados Lawyer, 81, Gets Sentencing Postponed After Theft Confession

An 81-year-old attorney who admitted taking more than $850,000 from a former client will have to wait longer to learn his punishment after his defence team said a key witness could not appear.

Barbados Lawyer, 81, Gets Sentencing Postponed After Theft Confession

An 81-year-old attorney who admitted taking more than $850,000 from a former client will have to wait longer to learn his punishment after his defence team said a key witness could not appear.

Hilary Jeffrey Nelson, who lives on Bagatelle Terrace in St James, had at first denied pocketing £347,560 — roughly $855,000 — belonging to Errol Hewitt during a period stretching from late 2018 into early 2019. After giving an unsworn statement from the dock at the No. 5 Supreme Court, he reversed course and accepted guilt.

Addressing the judge, Nelson said the coronavirus outbreak had created a sluggish property market, leaving him unable to sell real estate to return the cash. He added, however, that reimbursing Hewitt had remained his aim throughout. Before formally entering his guilty plea, the elderly solicitor told the court he never wanted to enrich himself through his ex-client's troubles. He claimed he had always assured Hewitt the money would be returned via his own lawyers, not directly by him. He described himself as remorseful and asked the judge for mercy.

Justice Pamela Beckles then told jurors to record a formal conviction and sent Nelson to Dodds Prison to await his sentence.

On Thursday, when the hearing was due to proceed, barrister Daquane Nedd asked for a seven-day delay. He explained that an important witness prepared to testify to Nelson's character was unavailable. State Counsel Tameisha Sobers and acting State Counsel Maya Kellman, representing the Crown, did not oppose the request.

Justice Beckles agreed to hear sentencing arguments on July 9 and to hand down the penalty on July 16.

Source: Barbados Today

Source: Barbados Today