A Jamaican man who overstayed in Cayman for 10 years and tried to leave the jurisdiction on a murdered man’s passport has been sentenced to two years in prison.
Appearing in the Summary Court on Wednesday, 9 Nov., Dennis Augustus Ramsay was told by the sentencing judge that his crime was serious and merited a deterrent sentence.
“Your attorney is in agreement that this offending has crossed the custody threshold,” said Magistrate Kirsty-Ann Gunn.
“For obvious reasons, authorities seek to control the borders by determining who may enter the country. To have overstayed for 10 years is a long period of time, and therefore a deterrent sentence must be imposed to send a clear message to other like-minded individuals that this type of offending will not be tolerated.”
Ramsay legally arrived in Cayman in 2008 and was employed on a work permit until 2012, when his then employer allegedly required him to start paying for his own work permit.
“Instead of switching employment, or leaving the jurisdiction, you chose to remain and work illegally,” said Gunn.
She added, “It is noteworthy that you could have taken advantage of the immigration amnesty in 2012; however, you didn’t.”
Ramsay’s wrongdoing came to light on 16 May, when he attempted to board a flight at the Owen Roberts International Airport to Honduras, on the passport of Dougmore Wright, who was shot and killed in 2018.
Ramsay is said to have been in possession of Wright’s passport since 2016, and paid $3,000 for the altered document.
During his sentencing hearing, his lawyer Dennis Brady asked the judge for leniency.
“Although the circumstances by which Mr. Ramsay came to reside in Cayman are less than ideal, he is a man of previous good character,” said Brady. “During his time in Cayman he has stayed out of trouble. In fact, there was one instance where he risked life and limb to save two tourists who found themselves in difficulties while here on vacation, and being the humble person he is, he did not seek any glory or credit. He considered it as his civic duty.”
Prosecutor Kerri-Ann Gillies argued for a custodial sentence, saying Ramsay’s offending was a prolonged, sustained and deliberate attempt to evade detection, which he would have done had it not been for the vigilant efforts of Customs and Border Control officers.
When returning her verdict, Gunn noted that there was no formal guidance on how to treat offenders who have overstayed for long periods of time.
She began with a starting point of a three-year sentence for Ramsay’s 10-year period of overstaying. That sentence was reduced to 20 months for his previous good character and early guilty plea.
Gunn then turned to the charge of possession of an altered travel document. She began with a sentence of nine months and reduced it to four months for his previous good character and early guilty plea. However, she ordered it to run consecutive to the first sentence, leaving Ramsay with a term of two years in prison.
Gunn ordered that any time served in custody be deducted from the final sentence.
Related Videos
