Teen Cup Match fighter released on 'time served'
A teenager involved in the Cup Match brawl was released from prison yesterday after being handed a three month jail sentence on Wednesday.
Psanto Eve, 18, of Princess Lane in Pembroke admitted to being involved in a fight, riotous behaviour and using a glass bottle and a shovel as weapons on July 31 at Wellington Oval in St. George's. He has been remanded in police custody since that date.
The fight which erupted at Wellington Oval in front of thousands of people, is believed to involve two groups of menone from St. George's and another from the central parishes.
The two groups started throwing glass bottles at each other on the second floor of the Cricket Club bar, but eventually the fight spilt out into the grounds itself.
Earlier this week Eve, along with 26-year-old Justin Denbrook of St. George's, were sentenced by Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner to serve three months for each of their charges, to run concurrently. Denbrook received an additional six months in prison for a suspended sentence that was activated on Wednesday.
Yesterday by request of Eve's lawyer's firm, Peniston Associates, his case was revisited and Mr. Warner decided to reduce his sentence.
According to Eve's lawyer Llewellyn Peniston, Mr. Warner took into account the seriousness of the crime and the unacceptable conduct of the defendant, but also considered Eve's young age, previously clean record and the fact he is continuing his education at New England Institute of Technology in Rhode Island.
Mr. Warner decided to change the sentence to "time spent on remand" explained Mr. Peniston, in regards to the one month and three day period Eve has already served while waiting for the progression of his trial. Mr. Peniston said yesterday: "The authorities released Eve today, and hope he will continue his educational journey and take up a place in the community as a responsible citizen, and not to reappear in these courts again."
Eve, Denbrook and nine other men including Dwayne Signor, 27, Wolde Gardner, 30, Chase Foggo, 21, Ronnie Furbert, 19, Danai Burns, 20, Kershon Burt, 21, Kenneth Caines, 24, Jahkiel Samuels, 24, and Shomari Woods, 30, have been charged in connection with the July 31 fight.
So far, Signor, Gardner and Woods have been given jail terms for their involvement in the fight.
Foggo and Furbert have been released due to time served while in remand; and Samuels, Burns, Burt and Caines await trial dates in the near future.