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Cox gets 38 years for murder of Yankee Rawlins

David Cox was today sentenced to 38 years in prison for the murder of Raymond 'Yankee' Rawlins.

Convicted killer David Jahwell Cox will spend a minimum of 38 years behind bars for the gun murder of gang rival Raymond “Yankee” Rawlins.Cox was whisked by armed police from the Supreme Court moments after his sentence was delivered by Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves.Justice Greaves called the August 9, 2010, shooting of Mr Rawlins, shot 16 times as he entered a nightclub, “an arrogant, thoughtless, vengeful assassination of a citizen by another, in the presence of ‘John Citizen’, with total disregard or respect for members of the community.”Noting that it was committed “in the middle of the night in a public establishment”, Justice Greaves said the evidence shows that Cox, armed with a 9mm pistol, along with another man armed with a revolver, fired a total of 16 shots into Mr Rawlins.“The firearm used by Mr Cox has not been recovered. The other assailant has not been apprehended,” he added.Justice Greaves also pointed out that the guns had been used in “a number of other assaults some of which resulted in death”.He continued: “No assistance has come forward from the defendant, and no remorse exhibited whatsoever.”A jury earlier this month unanimously declared Cox guilty of murder, as well as using a firearm to commit the act. On that occasion, Cox taunted his victim’s family members as he was led from the building.This time, an impassive Cox shook his head and replied “Nothing” when invited to speak before sentencing.The 31-year-old received life imprisonment for premeditated murder, with a minimum of 38 years before he is eligible to be considered for parole.For using a firearm which Justice Greaves called the “apex” of aggravating factors in the killing Cox was given ten years, to be served concurrently.The murder of Mr Rawlins, 47, who in victim impact statements was said to be the father of ten children, was called “a revenge, tit-for-tat attack, motivated by the war between two gangs”.Justice Greaves added: “Two gangs who have terrorised this community for some time, and have driven it from the garden of paradise to a handbasket bound for hell”.Cox has been named by police as a member of the 42 gang, arch-rivals of the Parkside gang, in whose territory the killing took place.The killing of Mr Rawlins was said in court to be in retaliation for a shooting earlier that evening.Cox, from Club Road in Smith’s, turned himself in to police shortly after the killing of Mr Rawlins, but a combination of forensic evidence and an eyewitness’ testimony was ultimately used to bring him to justice.In imposing the sentence, Justice Greaves called it “the kind of case that this community is begging that a stop be put to”.