MONTEGO BAY, St James — Forty-three-year-old Maurice Belnavis, who made headlines last December for a jailbreak from the Barnett Street police lock-up, was on Wednesday sentenced to six months’ imprisonment when he appeared in the St James Parish Court.

The sentence was handed down by judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton, who questioned Belnavis about his drug use before delivering her decision.

“Are you going to stop taking drugs?” the judge asked.

“I will try to make a change…I thank you for your understanding and ask that you give me a suspended sentence,” Belnavis replied.

Fairclough-Hylton, however, ordered that he serve six months in prison.

Belnavis was apprehended in Ocho Rios, St Ann, around 10:00 am on May 29, after being spotted by police. A warrant was executed, and he was returned to St James on May 31 to face formal charges.

He was among five men who staged the December 14, 2024 breakout from the Barnett Street lock-up. Since then, three of the fugitives have reportedly been fatally shot in armed confrontations with police across St James and Trelawny, while another was recaptured in Spot Valley the day after the escape.