A prominent Syrian businessman has criticised the three-year prison sentence handed to the teenager who fatally shot Roudi Shmali during a failed robbery in May 2023.
“He did nothing to deserve being killed this way,” said Tony, voicing frustration over what he and others see as a lenient punishment.
The teen, who was 16 at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty earlier this year and received the maximum sentence allowed under Antigua and Barbuda’s juvenile laws. Now 18, he will receive credit for 550 days already served.
His release conditions include a curfew and regular police check-ins. Authorities will monitor compliance and may revisit the sentence if breached.
The case has stirred anger within the local Syrian community, with many calling for tougher sentencing. Another suspect, believed to be in his twenties, is still awaiting arraignment.
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Totally agree. What are we doing? Encourage youngsters to do crime because they know they’ll get off? You do the crime, do the time
I stand with the syrians!! This teen should be sentenced to life. First and foremost he went to do a robbery and then shot the man. killed the man and he’s alloted same amount of times as Mongoose? Mongoose did not kill a soul when he was sentenced to three years prioson time but this rascall, this ghetto shii gets three years for robbery and murder? I can’t help but question the justice system. Antigua is trash and it will remain trash forever. TELL GASTON ANTIGUA SURF SAY SO! check y’all justice system
Well he’s a human anyway, better yet a teen. I somehow find 3 years to be too much for a teen. I’m sure he did not send himself or gave himself the gun.
Oh shut up. He didn’t know he was a teen when he went to rob? He could’ve said no. He could’ve reported the pressure to the police. But he said yes! We never heard of anyone sending him so he’s the only suspect and 3 years for a life is not enough. The Syrians are right.
I am in full agreement that the sentencing was too light – he took the man life and just get a 3 year sentence. However, we can’t blame the judge, he gave him the maximum. In the article when the verdict was announced, it stated that the law now allows a maximum penalty of 10 years.
I still believe that 10 years is too little. The law makers have to get really harsh with violent crimes. A 16 yr old that knows how to get access to a gun and kill the man like that should be held accountable.
Correct is right! Three years? He took an innocent man’s life. Someone who was working to make a living for himself.
He is a murderer and we need to see that. The syrians must be feeling unsafe rn. Never the less you gave him 3 years. This syrian man had a family just remember that.
So does this young man. Everyone is rooting for more than three years. Yet what he did was wrong but he’s just a teen and i think he was only 16 at the time of the crime. A little bit of leniency please
Government must change the Juvenile Act and any Jevenile from 15 years and above who committed serious crimes should be tried as Adults. Most serious crimes committing in this country are committed by Juveniles. They know the Law is on their side so they don’t care. If Government don’t change the Law, Vigilante Justice will try them in their own court. Government should act fast before we reach that stage.
During COVID dem min hab tracking bracelet a track people and doing their “contact tracing” why doing we have tracking on these criminals. Especially on “probation/curfew” or repeat offenders, or these repeat juvenile delinquents.
Karma is a bitch to a smuggler. Karma is working obeah on the gun runners.
the Syrians just might be waiting for him at the end of the 3 yrs
Karma is a bitch to a smuggler. Karma is working obeah on the gun runners. No sympathy for them.
@Renae
You’re an idiot!
Agreed totally he is now 18 and i really cannot fathom the bullshit curfew nonsense. 16years old are given the right to have sex yet are too young to face the full arm of the law. Nonsense!
I guess if it was someone in your family uour thoughrs eould be different. You wentvyo rob and still kill the young man. This is crazy. I stand with the syrians. He has the mind of an adult so he should be tried that way. Not enough years for this crime
So it’s a Syrian thing, eh? Heaven help Antigua nearga an’ dem. So many mothers and fathers today mourn senseless killings of their children. Where’s the outrage? To be clear, I empathize with those Syrians and others left to mourn their loss but it’s not an ethnic or racial issue. No Syrians life has more value than that of local nearga. When the issue of the transitioning to the CCJ came up, many of you sobbing hypocrites for racial and political reasons chose to stay within the fold of the Privy Counsel, to be shaped and led by their version of social justice e.g. eliminate the death penalty….or else! Magistrates and Judges are guided by the letter and spirit of today’s British laws. We have the power to change that but we don’t. So spare me the crocodile tears!
This administration can speedily run into parliament and force and amend the laws so that they can abscond the Alpha Nero, but when it comes to the protection of the citizens from gun violence and criminals accessing guns like candy, they are nowhere to be found.
How long have the Citizens been calling for the removal of this inept AG and by extension this Gatson Brownes Administration. That waste commissioner Rodney retired, but we are still stuck with this inept AG we have.
It’s crazy that they found a way to get rid of the one man that stood up to them, by murdering him in his kitchen, but to fight for stiffer gun laws and tighter border control, nada, nothing. No speedy parliament sessions to argue for a stronger crime bill.
If this inept Government is to lead Antigua again at the next General election, then the people deserve nothing else but what they have been getting for the past 11 years. It cannot be disputed that Antigua has become ten times as dangerous as it was when this government took over..that cannot be disputed. Whenever have you heard about gun violence in Antigua at this alarming rate by young people in the past?
This present administration has never been about stronger laws and gun control, never..Their most important thing has always been about collecting money, then turned around to put that money into making more money, not into crime prevention or a stronger border control and safer Antigua. Unfortunately for Antiguan’s, border control and crime prevention doesn’t make money, so the perverters of justice are left to run rampant in such a small island.
I would not be sure if “Anarchy” start running rampant in Antigua, where good law Abiding citizens say enough is enough and start taking the law into their own hands.
That’s the danger that’s lurking in the darkness, so let this foolish administration cannot to play with this very fickle ” progress” they have claimed to have made in the last 11 years..
Keep playing Gatson Browne, and keep running your mouth on your radio show..
A word to the wise.
*would not be surprised*
You ppl are SO CRAZY IN ANTIGUA. HOW HE MURDER A MAN N HE GOT THREE YEARS FOR MURDER..U JUDGE CRAZY.AFTER THE THREE WHERE YOU ALL GOING TO PUT HIM.BACK IN SOCIETY. TO DO MORE KILLING….LOL.U ALL THINK THATS HOW IT GOES…THESE YOUNG BOYS ARE BEING TRAINED BY ADULTS GUNMEN…..STOP THE MADNESS BF IT STOP US.
He and his sister know how to maniplutae and wiggle out of situations very well. I hope they increase his sentence or he doesn’t make it out alive, he knows exactly what he was doing, are you young ass too wicked.
After his 3yrs hope you all put him back to trial as an adult he knows wrong from right this young man has been problem all the time even at school find out from the pears secondary school you will know about him he has been a problem child putting him out there he is going to kill again 3 yrs is not enough he soon 18 put his trial from 18 and give him his yrs MONGOOS never kill know one and you all send him 3 yrs seriously and someone who take somebody life 3 yrs no no jail him
If the judge who handed out this 3 year sentence had a son or daughter who met the same demise as the Syrian Roudi Shmali (and God forbid!), there’s no way on this earth would any of his “learned” colleagues handed out such a lenient and paltry sentence.
16 or 60 years of age was totally inappropriate.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The Attorney General as the overseer and superintendent of our judiciary could easily have intervened and found some sort of legalese to increase this sentence.
If not for this particular heinous case, then what is Steadroy ‘Look the other way’ Benjamin good for?
Maybe he’s more interested in excessive and extravagant NIMIETY instead of serving REAL justice for the family of this poor murder victim.
Like many others, I was fooled into believing that three years was the maximum sentence possible.
I have since been educated.
That’s not true.
Only three possible sentence could not have been imposed on the youth.
The judge has gotten it very very very wrong.
Those are the reasons I am against judges from different cultures, laws and norms.
According to law the judge could not have imposed a death penalty, a life sentence nor flogging on the youth.
However any sentence other than those three could have been imposed.
The judge could have imposed any number of years.
I hope the DPP will appeal the sentence imposed on this youth and seek a more appropriate sentence.
The former acting DPO was always contended with a guilty plea.
She didn’t like the idea of working to secure a conviction.
As such she accepted any sentence imposed.
She loves giving notice of intent to appeal and not doing anything about it.
She has a thousand matter tied up in appeal which she has done nothing to advance .
He should get more than 3yr he took a life even 15yr would a bin find let him sit an think long an hard about the life he took an the pain he cause to the man family
Really Renae? He did nit send himself ir give himself a gun? Really? As to the Syrian gentleman, he was human too.I don’t care if he was 16 or 60,life is the appropriate sentence he should have gotten.I can bet if it was a relative if yours, you would have been singing a different song.
As far as I am concerned,bring back hanging ,and as gruesome as it may be do it in ARG, invite the public and televised it also.
With such a slap on the wrist other teens and those that encourage them to do all this foolishness will see that he was made an example of and what the consequences will be.
These asiatic laws need to be changed when it comes to crime and punishment in Antigua.
Just a tI will reoeat, let it have been a relative of yours he killed, bet you woukd be asking for his head on a platter.een? He was old enough in my opinion to know right from wrong. This was not just a robbery but murder.
Kevin, yes ge was just 16. To me 16 one already old enough fu smell dem armpit and feel dem a big people. So his family will have him around for God knows how long, meanwhile because a nar one a arwe wan rudder family a grieve fu wan pickneywho life min cut short by this adolescent, who I am very sure know right from wrong.We need to stop making excuses for these teens behaviour and call a spade a spade.He do d crime and yes he will do the time,and this bullshit of letting him out on time served is just that, bullshit.
So he get three years for the murder, but nothing for having an unlicensed firearm, plus ammunition, plus aggravated robbery. A wha coulda go so? Did they forget these other charges?
This is totally nonsense 👎 what the hell 3 years for shooting some one in cold blood. Hog dudu
All teenager of Antigua…GO get a weapon and kill anybody on your way..is only 3 years in prison. Very clear message. No lawyer can come to me with that bull….t, no judicial system can come to me with that bulls…t. S is more penalty to do a defamation than kill someone in Antigua. Grab a weapon and keep messing around fellas… Our system will protect your right to rob and kill
Unlicensed firearm
Ammunitions
Aggravated robbery
Murder
= 3 years in Prison.
That is a very clear message to the world of how Antigua handle the crimes.