AN attorney is trying to persuade a judge to sentence a schizophrenic woman to just half a decade in the country’s mental health institution for killing her two-year-old daughter by dousing her with gasoline and setting her on fire. Bjorn Ferguson is seeking to have Justice Bernard Turner order that Philipa Marshall spend five years at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre (SRC) for murdering Philicia Marshall two years ago. Mr Ferguson has also requested a hospital order that would place his client under the control and/or custody of the SRC to allow her to adequately receive her ongoing treatment, as to date she has been diagnosed with schizophrenia by two psychiatrists. This comes after the elder Marshall’s brother-in-law, John Carey, begged Justice Turner to exercise “mercy” in sentencing the woman, as her mental health warrants “rehabilitation and treatment” instead of “strictly retribution and punishment”. The prosecution, meanwhile, is seeking to have Justice Turner impose a 30-year sentence at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) on Marshall, which represents the lower end of the 30 to 60 year sentencing range for murder.

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