A 27-year-old Devonshire man has been sentenced to six months in prison for unlawfully wounding his sister.

Sinclair Kimball Jacobs punched his sister Cynthia 15 times in the face last August in a dispute over the family car.

She sustained a cut that required five stiches.

Jacobs, who appeared in Supreme Court last Wednesday wearing a yellow, red and green African outfit, stared straight ahead as Pusine Judge the Hon. Mr.

Justice Ground passed sentence.

But that was after the Judge chastised Crown counsel Mr. Melvin Douglas for showing up an hour late for the sentencing last Wednesday.

"You must make your own administrative arrangements,'' Mr. Justice Ground told Douglas, who apologised to the court.

"You have cost a great deal of people an extreme amount of inconvienience because you failed to show up on time,'' the judge said.

Mr. Justice Ground then asked Jacobs if he had been successful in getting a lawyer.

"I have been trying for seven weeks and I've been turned down,'' he answered.

"Well we will go on without it then,'' the Judge said. "The normal response in a case like this is for me to impose a period of imprisonment. The first time you were in court, I gave you two years probation but that did not work out.

"(The probation officer) reported that you called her on the telephone and verbally abused her.

"Under these circumstances, and taking into account that it was over a year since the incident, I will reduce the nine-month to one-year sentence I am supposed to impose and sentence you to six months in prison. You have credit for the two months you have already spent in custody.'' Jacobs tried to explain why he had neglected to attend sessions with the probation officer, but the Judge ordered the two prison officers seated behind Jacobs to take him out of the court room. "You better learn to do some good book-keeping,'' Jacobs shouted to his probation officer through the crowd of several prison officials who were taking him from the court.

"You are a university graduate like myself. You better start paying attention.'' The incident was caused by a dispute over ownership of their father's car.

Jacobs told the court his father was often sick but he was still capable of driving the car.

"I thought my sister was wrong to say his licence should be taken away from him,'' he said. "It is his right to drive it. After all, he bought it.

She (Cynthia Jacobs) had it for a long time while my father was in hospital.

According to TCD only residents of a home can drive the car. That means only my father, my mother and myself unless some agreement is worked out.'' Jacobs said there were other factors that led to the incident.

"My niece (Cynthia's daughter) got pregnant. I told my sister she should watch out for her daughter. I later found out that she (sister) paid for my niece to have an abortion.

"It's a sin to get an abortion. I think she must have gotten pregnant while her mother was off the Island.'' "Hitting out at my sister was very vicious but it was not premeditated. I have phoned and written to my sister. I told her I would pay her for her injuries and hospital expenses. She wanted to drop the charges but I had already pleaded guilty.

"I'm sorry for what I have done. I wish my sister well. I am very happy for her,'' Jacobs said.