A man who was among five persons accused in the beating of a female cashier and two men at a store in Chalan Kanoa was slapped with a one-year jail term.
Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman in a written decision issued yesterday ordered Anson Sansi to serve the sentence without parole.
Wiseman gave the 25-year-old Sansi credit for the two months and 27 days he already served in jail.
Sansi was ordered to start serving the jail term at the Department of Corrections yesterday at 8am. He is expected to be released on May 21, 2013 at 8am.
After completing the jail term, the defendant will be placed on probation for two years.
The judge ordered Sansi to pay a $250 fine, $25 court assessment fee, plus probation fee.
Wiseman required the defendant to pay his pro rata share of restitution to the victims in an amount that will be determined by the court after the Office of the Attorney General submits the restitution report.
Wiseman said although it is Sansi's first crime of record, the court cannot, however, excuse or minimize the seriousness of participating in a crime of such a brutal and unprovoked attack on the cashier.
The judge said Sansi did not even try to stop the attack on the cashier.
“The court has taken into consideration the arguments of counsel, defendant's stated remorse and the family situation of his children whose mother is serving a two-year sentence. The court also notes that he has no criminal history,” Wiseman said.
In April 2012, the jury found Sansi not guilty of aggravated assault and battery, and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.
Wiseman, who decided on misdemeanor charges, found Sansi guilty of two counts of assault and battery, and two counts of disturbing the peace.
The maximum sentence for assault and battery is one year and or up to a $1,000 fine. The maximum sentence for disturbing the peace is six months and or up to a $500 fine.
The Office of Adult Probation recommended a sentence of six months in prison.
Assistant attorney general Nicole Driscoll recommended a sentence of two years in jail. Court-appointed defense counsel Joaquin Torres requested a sentence of six months in prison.
The court found that the defendants went into Dhaka Store where the victim Xiaoping Tudela was a cashier in the morning of Aug. 8, 2011.
When a police officer arrived at the store, Tudela was found lying in a pool of blood.
Police said the five suspects beat up the cashier when the victim confronted one of them, Cheroleen Ray, for slamming the phone on its console.
Police said Ray also beat up Mohammed A. Bashar, who was in the store.
A detective said Sansi beat up and threw a can of soda on a male customer, who was trying to stop the suspects from beating Tudela.
Defendants Ray and Mark Rudolph entered a guilty plea. The jury found defendants Arinna A. Reiong and Norna Tipingeni guilty of aggravated assault and battery, while Wiseman found them guilty of one count each for assault and battery, and disturbing the peace. All defendants were subsequently sentenced.
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