Debe man sentenced to 18 years for killing father in 2008

Debe resident Christopher Bissoo, who was initially charged with the murder of his father, has been sentenced to 18 years with hard labour after pleading guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter on the grounds of provocation.

However, he will only serve two years as the court deducted the time (16 years and 14 days) already spent in custody.

Bissoo’s case ended on January 16, 2025, after the State and Defence attorneys entered plea discussions.

Attorney Michelle Ali, instructed by Shaunelle Hamilton, represented the accused of Bougainvillea Drive, and attorney Chenelle Moe represented the State.

The matter was heard before High Court judge Justice Tricia Hudlin-Cooper.

The then 23-year-old man was charged with the murder of his father, Glen Bissoo, 53, who was stabbed at the family’s home on June 8, 2008.

Bissoo is now 39.

In a plea agreement filed on September 30, 2024, the State agreed to allow Bissoo to plead to manslaughter instead of murder.

In December, his attorneys filed sentencing submissions and a plea in mitigation to the court, saying Bissoo accepted his wrong and, throughout his time being incarcerated, sought ways of dealing with situations and reacting differently to certain situations. The attorneys submitted that he expressed remorse, changed his mindset, as well as renewed faith in God. He has also learned to control himself in situations that may cause a need for reaction. Last year, Ali made a bail application and Bissoo was granted bail.

The defence had further submitted that Bissoo illustrates his positive inroads since being on bail and attending church weekly with his mother.

The defence proposed a starting sentencing point of 24 years, to which the State did not object.

On January 7, the State filed submissions on sentencing, asking the court to consider the aggravating factors like the seriousness and prevalence of the offence, the use of a weapon (knife) and the level of harm as the deceased was stabbed multiple times.

After considering factors like Bissoo’s age compared to that of the deceased and his admission to using drugs at the time of the offence, the judge made an upward adjustment of three years. The adjustment meant that the starting point went from 24 to 27 years.

A one-third discount, which equalled nine years, was applied to his sentence because of the guilty plea.

After the discount, Bissoo was left with 18 years. The court noted no mitigating factors in Bissoo’s favour as his apology was not seen as a sign of genuine remorse. The court also considered his failure to complete any rehabilitation programmes while incarcerated.

The judge addressed the delays in the case, which were largely attributed to the lengthy wait for medical reports, including three independent evaluations.

The sentence began on January 16, meaning he spent a few months on bail before he was remanded back into custody to serve the term.