David Curley, who previously served as commanding officer of the Royal Bermuda Regiment has been jailed over official corruption charges, which he had admitted to the Supreme Court.
The 55-year-old former soldier was today ordered by Justice Juan Wolffe to spend the next six months in prison for the offence, that took place over the course of many months in 2015, prior to Curley being promoted to lead the Regiment.
Back in July of last year the court heard how Curley, in his desire to become a member of the Order of St John, a British royal order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedicated to St John the Baptist, had offered the lawyer Justin Williams, now deceased, firearms and an appointment as legal adviser to the Regiment in exchange for a nomination for membership within the order.
Curley had previously told the court that he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong and had only inquired with Williams as to the possibilities of his being nominated to join the order.
He aded how his life had “crumbled’into a sordid mess as a result of the incident, having lost his home and his marriage and being unable to secure employment for the last three years.
“It has had a huge impact on my career,” he told the court at the time. “I had it all taken away from me – it was a devastating blow.”
Justice Wolffe sentenced Curley to 18 months imprisonment, with 12 months suspended for a year, the judge noting a term of imprisonment to be a necessary message of deterrence.
Prosecutors had asked for a sentence ranging from 18 months to three years.
Mark Pettingill, for the defence, asked if bail might be granted in light of an appeal, to which the Crown objected on grounds that bail could only be granted after a notice of appeal had been forwarded, an argument with which Justice Wolffe agreed.
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