Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter

A man who cut his 80-year-old grandfather's throat, to spare him the severe pains he was experiencing because he was terminally ill with cancer, yesterday pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

He is Damion Barrett, of Crescent Road, Kingston 13. He will be sentenced on November 17.

Barrett was charged with the murder of William Uriah Grant, of Crescent Road, but he pleaded guilty in the Home Circuit Court to the lesser offence.

The facts of the case are that Grant, who was a cancer patient, had asked several relatives including Barrett to end his life.

Cries coming from Grant's house

On September 8, 2005, a neighbour heard cries coming from Grant's house and Barrett was seen running from the house. Grant was seen coming from the house holding his neck which was bleeding profusely.

He was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Barrett admitted to persons in the community that he killed his grandfather because he was in a lot of pain and had asked him to take his life because he could no longer endure the pain.

Police statements from witnesses disclosed that, around the time of the incident, Barrett was behaving strangely and was roaming the street.

When Barrett first appeared in court, a psychiatric report was ordered to ascertain whether he was fit to plead. The report, which was presented in court yesterday stated that Barrett could plead. The psychiatric report disclosed that Barrett said he had smoked ganja.

Justice Raymund King ordered that Barrett should undergo another psychiatric evaluation before sentencing.