BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A young man, Vidal Wilkinson, was on Thursday (Jan. 1) sentenced to serve three years hard labour at Her Majesty’s Prison after he was found guilty of possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.
At approximately 10:20 p.m. on Saturday (Jan. 16), members of the Special Services Unit (SSU) had stopped and searched four persons of interest in the Nevis Street area, Basseterre, which resulted in the find of one 9mm pistol and a magazine with six matching rounds.
A police communiqué had stated that the four individuals were taken into custody, but three of them were released after Wilkinson had taken responsibility for the illegal items.
He is the second person for this year to have been convicted and sentenced to serve three years hard labour for illegal firearm and ammunition.
The first was Adrian Webster of Sandown Road, Newtown, who on Sunday (Jan. 3) was arrested in the Pond’s Pasture area by members of the SSU during a stop and search operation.
The officers had stopped a vehicle within which were Webster and another individual, and a search of it resulted in the find of a M12 pistol with 16 matching rounds.
Both of them were taken into custody but Webster was the only one charged because he took responsibility for the illegal items.
So far for this year, the police have removed two illegal firearms and 22 rounds of ammunition off the streets of St. Kitts and Nevis. Last year they removed 21 and a large quantity of ammunition.
