For leaving his post without a senior army officer’s permission Barbados Defence Force Private Raheem Reeves must spend three months at HMP Dodds, a court martial ruled Wednesday.
The three-member panel of president Lieutenant Commander John Mapp, Captain Natalie Haynes and Sub-Lieutenant Jamal Wiggins handed down the sentence after a month-long trial.
Private Reeves, 26, was found guilty of leaving his duty station at St Ann’s Fort while part of a COVID-19 Sanitization Unit without reasonable excuse on March 14, 2021.
He faced a maximum of two years imprisonment and will become the first soldier to be sentenced to serve time in prison by a court martial in recent memory.
The ruling did not go down well with Private Reeves’s attorney-at-law, Queen’s Counsel Michael Lashley, who vowed to appeal the decision at the Court of Appeal and if necessary before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
Before sentencing, Private Reeves whose BDF contract was set to end on September 25, had two other charges that were scheduled to be brought against him withdrawn.
Prosecutor Captain Neville Corbin indicated to the court martial the charges had to be dropped for him to be sentenced. He explained that otherwise, Private Reeves would first have to answer to them at a court martial before he could be sentenced.
He was set to answer the charges of neglecting to carry out his duty as a Shore Police at HMBS Pelican on August 25, 2020, when he failed to inform his superiors that Ordinary Seaman Collymore asked him to contact his parents and that on the same date he neglected to carry out his duty as a Shore Police when Ordinary Seaman Collymore admitted to him that he was involved in a serious incident.
The panel deliberated for an hour and 43 minutes before agreeing on a sentence.
The court martial had earlier heard that Private Reeves had one prior blemish on his service record since being enlisted on September 16, 2015, when he served 14 days detention for his conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline on October 16, 2019.
Before handing down the sentence, the court martial’s president declared the BDF’s core values of courage, integrity, honesty, selfless service, loyalty, respect, commitment to duty and discipline.
“Punishment is among the means available for the maintenance of discipline,” said Lieutenant Commander Mapp. “The resulting sentence was decided based upon the seriousness of the offence tempered with fairness and justice.
“Further consideration was given to the mitigating factors which led to the offence, the service record and the fact that the convicted soldier returned to duty after interaction with the duty officer.
“The court sentences the convicted soldier to 90 days imprisonment…After lengthy discussion the panel unanimously agreed to the sentence.”
The president further explained that the sentence would be carried out immediately and Private Reeves would remain under close arrest at the BDF until the convening officer confirms the sentence.
Once that is completed, he is to be transferred to HMP Dodds.
Lashley, the lead defense attorney, tried unsuccessfully to have the private released before his sentence begins.
After he was found guilty, Private Reeves told the court martial his life became “very challenging” after his transfer from the Barbados Coast Guard to the army.
He described the experience as one of “a rat backed up in a corner.”
Private Reeves said he felt the regiment was being unprofessional towards him and that he was “being pushed to a certain extent.”
However, he maintained that the BDF was not a bad place to join and that he still had respect for the organization.
“I love my country but I believe it is time I part ways with the BDF,” he told the panel.
Private Reeves also expressed remorse for his actions.
In an interview with the media, moments after the court martial ended, Lashley said an appeal was forthcoming.
He also called for changes in the way courts-martial were composed, saying there was a need for civilians to be included.
The QC said: “My position on it is that he has to exercise his rights under the law. When my client did his mitigation it was revealed that a member of the panel was his officer in command. That now throws further light on the matter and we will have to take up that matter.
“I also personally believe that we have to review the court martial proceedings. Other countries have done it in a different way and I believe that we should look at having ordinary persons having a say on the court martial proceedings. But all in all, it is saving graces that he was not dismissed with ignominy, that the other charges were dropped and that at least he will not go away from the BDF with disgraceful conduct etched alongside his name.”
Earlier, following an almost two-hour summation by the Judge Advocate, Principal Crown Counsel Krystal Delaney, the three-member panel deliberated for just under two-and-a-half hours before returning the guilty verdict.
The court martial heard that that Private Reeves left the BDF’s St Ann’s Fort headquarters without permission to go home and cook food.
He said he did this because he did not eat the BDF’s food and had indicated his position on several occasions to superior officers.
But Private Reeves said no action was taken. (randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)
