By LAUREL V WILLIAMS Monday, February 25 2013

AFTER a hectic Carnival season, soca superstar Machel Montano will appear this morning to be sentenced by a Port-of Spain magistrate for five charges of assaulting four people and using obscene language.

Magistrate Maureen Baboolal-Gafoor found him guilty in December of the five charges.

Montanto, this year’s Groovy Soca Monarch and joint Soca Monarch, was found guilty of assaulting patrons Gerard Bowrin, Brandis Browne, Janelle Lee Chee, and Russell Pollonais during a fracas outside the Zen nightclub, in Port-of-Spain, in April, 2007.

He was also convicted of a fifth charge of using obscene language.

Songwriter Kernel Roberts, the son of legendary Calypso icon Lord Kitchener, was also found guilty of two assault charges and he, too, will be sentenced today. Joel “Zan” Feveck, a member of Montano’s HD Family and Rodney “Benjai” Le Blanc were found not guilty of the charges against them on December 10, last year.

Babool-Gafoor who presides in the Seventh Court, was initially expected to sentence the two on January 17. The magistrate adjourned the case to today after she said she wanted a probation officer’s report on the two.

She also indicated she needed more time to consider further submissions by the defence and the prosecution.

Fans of the two have been, via social media sites and in letters to media houses, calling for non-custodial sentences. Last month State-owned TSTT decided to suspend the company’s relationship with Montano.

Scores of people are expected to congregate at the St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain, courthouse for the outcome of the sentencing hearing today.