Email

Print

7 News has been there throughout and Cherisse Halsall was there for the final lap:

This morning when 29-year-old Kareem Martinez, the cop who killed Laddie Gillett walked to Belize's Supreme Court it was to appear one final time before Justice Antoinette Moore for sentencing.

In court, two character witnesses including a cousin-in-law and the chairman of Seine Bight village came forward to call Kareem a humble, responsible young man who they claimed is his family's breadwinner.

Still, Justice Antoinette Moore put to the court that the sentence must be commensurate to the crime, and this crime, she expressed, was grave indeed given the aggravating factors that Kareem Martinez was a police officer and that his victim Laddie Gillett was a member of a vulnerable population, a child.

But by the end of the morning and despite the words of those character witnesses and Kareem's own plea from the stand for leniency, the sentence handed down was for 18 years in prison.

We first heard from Laddie Gillett's Biological mother on her feeling about the sentence:

Cherisse Halsall:
"Given the sentence that has been handed down today, is there anything that you would like to say about Kareem Martinez?"

Linda Gillett, Laddie's Biological mother
"What the judge give him, I am satisfied with because at least…I am still in pain like I can't even explain myself right now because I am still in pain and I will not see my son, they can go and visit Kareem but I can't go and visit my son because he's gone and the rest I am going to leave to God."

As for the Bradley-Fleming's, the foster family who've made justice for Laddie a rallying cry and carried that call for justice to every single court date, they say, that the hope now is that Kareem's sentence will end the trend of unlawful killings perpetrated by the police against minors.

Emil Bradley, Laddie's Foster Dad
"This gives Belize a lot of hope so that they know that when things like this happen including, involving police law enforcement officers that there is hope for them if they just ensure it but it takes a lot of persistence we can't give up, we will hear a lot of things but we can't give up and we just have to stay there and be there, be here, be there but like."

"I am sorry for his family, I mean it's not easy, it's not a tooth for a tooth, it's not easy to have your family there for 18 years it's hard on him knowing the situation his Dad is in also but what about the victim, what about 14 years, you know he would have been 16 now having a drivers license, there are a lot of things we could have been doing now and you know this is the thing that really hurts me when I listen to it but like I said we are forgiving people and there is nothing I can do about the 18, for me personally it was a bit too much but she knew why she made that decision."

Bryony Fleming, Laddie's Foster Mom
"Like she says this keeps happening over and over again with police officers and that is extremely dangerous I mean the police officers are there to protect us to ensure that we are safe, you know so I think that is the message that she is trying to send and it's really you know, I mean sad that Kareem is the one who has to pay the price for this. I too agree that 18 years is an extremely long time um, I you know there are other people who I blame for this situation as well um which I would like to make public, the guy Danger who you know called the cops and said listen that there are people on the beach that have firearms and you know whatever else I mean he could have walked over there and seen the kids and this would have never happened, you know, it's unfortunate that Kareem is the one who pulled the trigger, I am really sorry for his family, um, you know we are forgiving people and sending him to jail is not going to bring my Laddie back, yes he has to pay for the crime but you know I really have utmost condolences for his family and you know what they are going to be going through for the next 18 years and I personally I have come to forgive you know Kareem for you know, for taking away our son."

Emil Bradley, Laddie's Foster Dad
"We are focusing on him yes he is 29 what about 14 years, right and this is the whole thing I mean if you are sorry for what you did it didn't even have to reach, he probably would have been spending time already if he had but you have to find him guilty, you know I mean that says a lot about him, yes I listened to the people who came and spoke about on his behalf about what type of person and yes he is but if you are that person and you know, you know this person so good why don't you encourage him or try some way to con…"

"I said this over and over on the media, the family, they have not tried to contact the family, and there is no remorse on him or his family's part, I am not wishing oh you get that time because you deserve it I am not really like that but my whole thing is we want him to learn and for others to see what could happen."

Martinez's immediate family declined to speak today telling the media that sensational coverage of Laddie's murder as well as the trial have in part contributed to Kareem's sentence.

We did however speak to a cousin who told us he was pained at this outcome for Kareem Martinez.

Roy Williams, Cousin Of Kareem Martinez
"He is a good person, we do have rogue police we do have bad police but he is one of the good police so it's just unfortunate for him, he is like the Holy Cow."

"Now, what the magistrate did was I believe she ruled based on emotion and based on public outcry. I was a bit astonished at the sentencing because due to the mitigation and the factors considering the character of Kareem Martinez I thought that at least a five-year sentence would have been appropriate but 18 years is a bit harsh for me."

Cherisse Halsall:
"And how did you feel sir when you heard the judge say that she would impose the sentence that she did impose as a deterrent to other police officers, do you feel that is fair to Kareem?"

Roy Williams, Cousin Of Kareem Martinez
"It''s unfair to him because yes we wouldn't want a rogue police society deleting our youths, we wouldn't want that, but knowing the character of Kareem and first of all I should have started by saying my sincere condolences of Laddie Gillett, first of all, I should have done that but the character Kareem has and considering all the factors for the court, I believe that is what the magistrate should have, or the judge should have taken into consideration. So, it's not because he is a policeman who is going out doing rogue stuff and we do have policemen that fit that character but he doesn't fit that character so."

And Williams went on to say that the family had hoped that the mitigating factors surrounding Kareem's parents would have lead the judge to consider leniency.

Roy Williams, Cousin Of Kareem Martinez
"His father is an amputee he is the breadwinner of the family, yes we lost Laddie Gillett and now we are losing another person and it's like we are losing two persons instead of losing one."

Cherisse Halsall:
"Still Sir, Kareem as was his right never pleaded guilty to this crime and we know that the family believes that it was a shot from Officer Augustine's gun that killed Laddie, the judge feels and she expressed that feeling today that Kareem has not taken full responsibility for the crime that this court found him guilty of, what would you say to that?"

Roy Williams, Cousin Of Kareem Martinez
"I believe the police department failed Kareem Martinez that is my humble opinion that the police department failed him because the investigation from the get-go was a factor so I believe he is just a product of a failure of a failed police department."

Martinez's attorney Oscar Selgado had to go into another case and could not speak. He had indicated in his last interview that they will appeal the decision.