Mangrove resident ordered to pay $15,000 over unlicensed gun and bullets

A St Philip man who admitted to keeping a revolver and five rounds of ammunition without proper authorisation has received a hefty court-imposed financial penalty instead of further jail time.

Mangrove resident ordered to pay $15,000 over unlicensed gun and bullets

A man from Mangrove, St Philip, has been spared more time in custody after Justice Christopher Birch ruled that a substantial financial penalty would be sufficient punishment for his weapons offences. Jamar Andre John was ordered to pay $15,000 for possessing a firearm and ammunition without legal approval.

Appearing in the No. 5A Supreme Court, John confessed that on January 9, 2022, he was holding a .45 calibre revolver and five rounds of ammunition, neither of which he had lawful permission to keep.

Although the court first imposed a decade-long prison sentence, this was later trimmed to a little over four years once his early admission of guilt, favourable circumstances, and the time already served in pre-trial detention were weighed in his favour.

Justice Birch concluded that justice could be achieved through fines rather than incarceration. John must now produce $4,000 immediately toward a $10,000 penalty for the weapon, with the outstanding sum settled within nine months. An additional $5,000 charge for the bullets must also be cleared in that same window.

If he does not meet these payment obligations, he will be required to spend 1,480 days in prison. The two punishments will run side by side.

State Counsel Rommell Sandiford represented the prosecution.

Source: Barbados Today

Source: Barbados Today