Ten years for kidnapping cab driver

But while one man is free, another is heading to jail. A week ago, thirty-four year old Derrick Sanchez, a resident of the Ladyville area was found guilty of kidnapping a Belize City taxi driver whose vehicle was hired in July 2011.  Today, Sanchez, who has a long rap sheet, appeared before Justice Adolph Lucas to learn his fate. Before sentencing, mitigation pleas were heard from two of Sanchez’s sisters. Kayla and Denise Sanchez were both emotional as they addressed the court and asked for leniency for their sibling.  In handing down sentence, Justice Lucas said that kidnapping is a very serious crime and that there was a strong case against Sanchez who had given a confession statement and also had previous convictions. With that, he handed down a sentence of ten years behind bars which Sanchez is to serve consecutive to another conviction of five years of burglary meaning that his prison term extends to fifteen years. The kidnapping happened on July twentieth, 2011 when Sanchez and another man hired Rodrick Williams’ taxi. They held him up, took him back into the city and then to Ladyville where Williams was able to escape. The police were able to get a recorded caution statement from Sanchez admitting to the kidnapping. Court records show that Sanchez has as many as seven previous convictions for crimes of dishonestly including robbery, handling stolen goods, theft and burglary.