Sixty-three-year old Norman Tomlinson was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment recently for the killing of 97-year-old former journalist, Peter Abrahams.

Tomlinson had pleaded guilty to manslaughter on July 24, 2018.

A statement from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said that a plea agreement pursuant to the Plea Negotiations and Agreements Act of 2017 was entered into between the prosecution and the defence on July 24, 2018.

The agreement set out that on Wednesday, January 18, 2017, Abrahams sustained multiple blunt force injuries from which he later died. Investigations by the police led to the apprehension of Tomlinson, the husband of Abrahams’ domestic helper, on February 17, 2017. He was interviewed by the police and gave a cautioned statement indicating that Abrahams’ death was an accident.

He further told the police that he was at the home of Abrahams on January 18, 2017 and whilst there, they had an argument over the use of a credit card which the deceased had given to Tomlinson. Shortly thereafter, he pushed Abrahams’ wheelchair and this caused Abrahams to fall and hit his head.

There were no other witnesses to the incident.

In conducting the sentencing exercise, the judge took into consideration the plea agreement with the recommended sentence of seven years, the antecedents of Tomlinson, the social enquiry report prepared, and the plea in mitigation by his attorney.

In the end, the judge imposed a sentence of seven years at hard labour in accordance with the plea agreement.