Rivers handed 35-year tariff for Super ‘C’ murder
William Ian Rivers
(CNS): William Ian Rivers (40) will serve at least 35 years in jail for the murder in January 2017 of Mark Travis “Hubba” Seymour, whom he gunned down in broad daylight at Super ‘C’s, a well known West Bay restaurant. In a brief summary of his sentencing decision delivered via video link on Friday, Justice Frank Williams, who had presided over Rivers’ trial, said he had found enough aggravating factors, but no mitigating ones, to increase the minimum life tariff from the statutory recommended 30-year term by five years.
Describing some of the aggravating factors, the judge pointed to the threats Rivers had made to witnesses as he left the scene on a bicycle after shooting Seymour several times, even after he had tried to flee and beg for his life. Rivers had then barricaded himself into his family home with his mother and partner and engaged in a stand-off with police for several hours before he was taken into custody.
As he delivered his judgment, Justice Williams spoke of the trauma suffered by Seymour’s children, especially his daughter, who was at the scene as her father died. The judge also noted Rivers’ lack of remorse or victim empathy and the findings in the social inquiry report indicating that he still saw himself as a victim in the case.
Rivers was said to have been motivated by jealousy and his own inadequacies, as his partner and the mother of four of his five children had sought financial support from Seymour because Rivers was out of work and suffering from depression at the time.
At the murder trial last year, Rivers had pleaded not guilty to murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility but had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of an unlicensed firearm and the unlawful use of a gun. The jury rejected his claims to be suffering from schizophrenia and convicted Rivers of murder.
The 35-year tariff is the minimum term, unless appealed, that Rivers must serve as part of his mandatory life sentence before he is eligible for a parole hearing with the Conditional Release Board. It is not a release date.
Deport him! Oh..er..yet another local born n bred.
This man should be hanged for this crime.!! WTF??? killing a man because he refuse to maintain him, his woman and 4 kids ??? Its a sin his papa never shot on the ground and make cockroach eat him.
The death penalty was abolished here many years ago. It is still retained in some Arab countries and a few backward states in the US.
Good riddance! Its time to lock away every single local and expat criminals on this island…
why are you still “thugging” at 40? Damn fools.
A Tariff in the prison sense means the minimum time in jail before becoming eligible for parole. He might serve quite a bit more than 35years.
Will be out in 3 years from social justice warriors.
Congratulations to the judge, we need more of these no nonsense sentences, this evil individual will be behind bars until he turns 75 and will cause no more mayhem in West Bay.
An appeal should follow.
Since the taxpayer pays for it and there is no downside for him in running it an appeal will follow for sure, but it has nothing to do with the merit of the judgment or the sentence.
Needs to be sent to UK prison.
We should absolutely export these long term storage problems to foreign super-max prisons equipped and trained for this grade of criminal.
Cuban prison
Monkey sucker.
??
Justice for Hubba ?, Sleep easy Hubbs because that clown of Ian won’t for along time!!