28-Year Sentence for Grand Fond Resident Convicted of Manslaughter of His Father

A man from Grand Fond, Dorian Dailey, has been sentenced to a 28-year prison term for the manslaughter of his father, Maurice Murry Dailey. Dailey was found guilty of the crime following a seven-day trial on May 25, 2023. High Court Judge, Justice Thomas W. R. Astaphan, noted the biblical penalty for striking a parent, but clarified that such a penalty was not permissible under the laws of Dominica.

On January 9, 2017, after a verbal altercation in Grand Fond, Dorian severely wounded his father with a cutlass, causing injuries that led to his death on February 21, 2017. Justice Astaphan underscored that Dorian violated the biblical commandments to honour one’s parents and not to murder, while breaking the law.

In deciding the sentence, Justice Astaphan adhered to the principles set by the Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and guidelines from the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Homicide Offences Re-Issue November 26, 2021. The main objectives of the sentence were retribution, deterrence, prevention, and rehabilitation.

Assessing the seriousness of the offence, Justice Astaphan stated that any credit for provocation was already factored into the jury’s verdict of manslaughter rather than murder. He described giving further credit for this provocation as “double-dipping”.

The judge ruled that the fact that the victim was Dorian’s father was an aggravating factor. He highlighted a gap in time between the initial confrontation and the attack, during which Dorian went to sleep, followed by the severity of the inflicted injuries.

Dorian’s lack of assistance to his father post-attack, the severity of the injuries, and his prior convictions for issuing threats were considered aggravating factors. Dorian’s minor assistance to authorities was counted as a mitigating factor. After considering time served, Dorian’s final sentence amounted to 28 years, 9 months and 22 days.

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