And promptly at 3:00 pm when the second part of the day's proceedings kicked off, Justice Sandcroft indicated that while a social Inquiry into Jasmine Hartin's past behaviour had been requested, the court had no understanding that it had ever been completed.
That Social Inquiry Report is one of the elements that Sandcroft told the court he will need in order to hand down a sentence, the others being an early plea, remorse, mitigating factors, no previous or recent convictions, the victim impact statements from Henry Jemmott's family and the aggravating factor of Henry Jemmott's death.
Cherisse Halsall was in court all afternoon and tonight she brings us this story.
Proceedings picked up right where they left off this afternoon but lasted much longer than expected because while Hartin ultimately took a guilty plea, her attorneys seemed to have to wrestle it out of her in the deliberation room.
And, once proceedings had ended we spoke to assisting attorney O.J. Elrington who provided the rationale behind the plea.
O.J. Elrington, Attorney-At-Law
"She was considering her options and after deliberation after council by senior council Hubert Elrington and myself and after taking all things into consideration especially I can tell you heavy on her heart in considering was to not put the family of the victim through the anguish of having to go through a trial proceeding so she, she consistently expressed her concern about that and therefore found that, that it was necessary at this point in time to take the guilty plea and to for all parties involved to move on."
"Once it is that. He has made that indication, he is now, restricted, and restrained, arrested from making any other type of declaration at his sentence, at his actual sentencing."
"Determining whether or not to plead guilty to an offence is a serious consideration and our client obviously had just requested the sentence indication hearing and had the sentence indication hearing today."
"I don't know if there can ever be a victory, nobody ever wins in a situation like this, the only thing that can happen is that the parties involved can now get the opportunity to move on with their lives."
And that's just what Hartin said as walked away after entering that guilty plea.
Jasmine Hartin, Plead Guilty to Manslaughter by Negligence
"I just want Henry's family to have peace now and I want this whole thing to be behind all of us, so we can heal."
The question now is whether that non-custodial sentence is guaranteed, here's how Elrington answered that:
O.J. Elrington, Attorney-At-Law
"Once it is that he today said that he will give a non-custodial sentence and all the case law says that. A guilty plea to a matter at this point in the proceedings shows that it should have a fine as opposed to confinement he is limited to a fine, however, the quantum of that fine is where he would still have great attitude and as he indicated in the court he would have to go to further research to have to determine the quantum of that fine and that will be determined as well as you have heard before based on submissions that will be made later on. I believe our submissions are due back by the 26th of May as to what will be the quantum of those either fine or compensation or either of the two."
"One of the considerations that the court does consider in terms of the quantum of consideration is whether the family has been compensated before so obviously those are going to be things that are going to be in our submissions that the family is currently being compensated and so that will be a consideration of the court."
STANDUP
We will be back on the 26th when there are final submissions and we will be back on the 31st when Jasmine Hartin is finally sentenced.
Justice Sandcroft has indicated that should Hartin be fined, she will have one year to pay the fine.
The Jemmott family declined to comment but an attorney for the family has reached out to 7 News to indicate that the civil claim for wrongful death/negligence against Jasmine Hartin has, quote: "not been settled and remains pending before the High Court for determination." end quote.
