Before imposing sentence, Justice of Appeal Singh had taken into account the fact that the accused had been incarcerated for five years subsequent to the commission of the crime.

Patricia Alves

 The Judge also had the benefit of a Probation Officer report which described the accused as diabolical and her church activities as exorcism.

Also the benefit of a plea in mitigation by defence Counsel Mr. Nigel Hughes who noted that his client was subjected to unfair reporting by the press and a biased report by the Probation Department.

Defence counsel then urged the judge to let off his client with a non-custodial sentence.

But State Prosecutor Miss Faith Mc Gusty scoffed at the idea, and declared that she was instructed to request a sentence about 25 years.

Mc Gusty had set out to prove that the accused, a self styled spiritualist had beaten Seenauth, her house guest, with a piece of iron about her bodyHughesH in February 2002, believing at the time that she was beating out a demon from the girl’s body . The accused then buried the deceased in a shallow grave at the back of her yard.

Last week after deliberating for over two hours, a mixed jury had found Alves not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. The Judge ordered a Probation Report before imposing sentence.

According to the Probation Officer, the accused met Kamille Seenauth, the deceased, sometime in 2001, and they developed a friendly relationship. Seenauth subsequently became a member of Alves’ household until her demise.

“Investigation revealed that the accused has a petulant personality, which has resulted in poor interpersonal relationships with her neighbours. According to them, she can best be described as diabolical, and her church activities are mainly exorcism.

“However, during interviews, the accused gave an impressive account of herself. She stated that she had turned her life to Christ and was an Evangelical Minister, who conducts thanksgiving services at individual’s request,” the Officer said.

“The accused has displayed no overt feelings toward the committal of the offence.

“Patricia Alves has been found guilty of a shocking crime, which claimed the life of a woman she befriended. Alves appears not to have a life apart from her infamous church activities, and her predicament may well be related to this activity.

“However, any activity that claims a life should never go unpunished, and the punishment meted out should

SEPTEMBER 29,  2005