The man who pleaded guilty to stabbing the 21-year-old university student, was on Tuesday sentenced to four years imprisonment at hard labour.

Many are happy to see that the case was disposed of so quickly and most people are satisfied with the sentence that was handed down. The nation was shocked to hear of the stabbing and most people followed the case intensely through to the end.

What is disturbing about this case is the fact that the accused man openly admitted in court that he had been in a similar previous situation. This suggests that he has some sort of anger management issues. The fact that the victim is not Jamaican also makes it worse. An incident such as this will only fuel the negative fire that burns for Jamaica overseas and will perhaps discourage international students from attending university here.

If nothing else, this story imparts a very crucial lesson to young girls. Be careful who you associate with. The most decep-tive and cruel men often come in 'shiny' packages that are hard to resist. This story also teaches us that we cannot know who to trust and that there are several wolves in sheep's clothing that we should be on the look out for.

Though we are not ascribing blame on the complainant, it is important to emphasise the need for young girls to choose their friends/partners wisely. Never be too quick to become close to a person and never be quick to let your guard down.