Sentencing submissions adjourned in lawyer theft case

A sentencing hearing in the theft trial of an 81-year-old attorney has been postponed after the defence requested additional time to secure a key character witness.

Hilary Jeffrey Nelson, of Bagatelle Terrace, St James, had initially denied stealing £347 560 ($855 000) from Errol Hewitt between November 13, 2018 and March 4, 2019, when, after making his unsworn statement from the dock of the No. 5 Supreme Court, he unexpectedly threw in the towel and admitted to the offence.

He told the court at that time that during COVID, when there was a buyer’s market, “I didn’t get off any properties to be in a position to pay off the monies allegedly stolen at that particular period in time, but it has always been my intention to do so.”

Before being rearraigned, Nelson testified: “I don’t want to profit from my former client’s misfortune…. All along, I told him that he would have been repaid but that any repayment would have been made through my attorneys, not me personally. I will not shirk my responsibility. I am too proud to benefit from anything that is not mine… I am contrite and claim every consideration available to me, not by way of right but how you feel about me on what you heard.”

Following the change in plea, Justice Pamela Beckles instructed the jury to return a formal guilty verdict and remanded the veteran attorney to Dodds Prison pending sentencing.

When Nelson reappeared on Thursday for sentencing submissions to be heard, his attorney, Daquane Nedd, asked for a week’s adjournment, telling the court that one of the main character witnesses to speak on his client’s behalf was unavailable at the time.

There was no objection from State Counsel Tameisha Sobers, who appeared for the prosecution in the case, and acting State Counsel Maya Kellman.

Justice Pamela Beckles adjourned the case until July 9 for those submissions and set sentencing for July 16.

(JB)