BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - Very rarely does a 15-year-old end up on a ‘Wanted’ poster, but this one did. His rap sheet included using force to rob a female in Newtown.
Read on to find out where he ended up and how he got there. You are forewarned; the ending is troubling.
THE RAZR ROBBERY
At 15, the youth robbed a man of a Motorola RAZR cell phone on October 12, 2007.
Seven months before this incident, The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer Newspaper reported on a spate of cell phone robberies. The story identified Motorola cell phones as popular targets.
On the afternoon of the October attack, the robbery victim rode in an ambulance to the Joseph N France General Hospital, where he received treatment for stab wounds to his legs.
His underage attacker would plead guilty to the crime, but we will come to that later.
‘WANTED’ AT 15
He is one of nine males whose ‘Wanted Person’ poster is archived on the Royal St. Kitts & Nevis Police Force website. The boy is the only minor among the bunch.
“The identity of minors who are accused of criminal acts are generally protected,” the Press and Public Relations Officer for the Royal St. Kitts & Nevis Police Force, Inspector Cromwell Henry, wrote in an e-mail to SKNVibes. “However, in instances when they are accused of serious crimes, are difficult to apprehend and are considered a threat to the community, it will be necessary in the interest of public safety to publicize their wanted status,” Inspector Henry added.
“Wanted bulletins for suspects are posted only when an accused person is difficult to locate by the police, and the public’s assistance is needed,” the police inspector said, adding that, “It does not matter what the crime is, as long as there is a warrant in existence and the accused cannot be easily found.”
On the police website, the minor’s ‘Wanted’ poster outlines the case facts: “On Tuesday 3rd April 2008, [the minor], with personal violence allegedly robbed a female of a sum of money and other personal items, at George Street, Newtown.”
It mentions that a warrant is out for his arrest concerning the charge of robbery. “Caution is advised when dealing with this individual,” the poster adds. On the poster, his face is stamped in red with ‘ARRESTED’.
On April 9, 2008, the boy’s mother escorted him to the Basseterre Police Station, and the police arrested him three months before his 16th birthday.
IN COURT FOR 2007 ROBBERY CHARGE
He pleaded guilty to the 2007 robbery charge, but the court deferred his sentence.
The boy, now 17, had his sentencing hearing this January.
According to a report on SKNVibes, during his hearing at the Basseterre High Court:
“The [probation] officer said [the minor] has expressed and shown the propensity to change but seems to fall victim to the influences of the area in which he lives – Newtown – which is known for its ‘notorious activities’. The officer further told the court that [the minor] was scheduled to begin a job yesterday (Jan.19).
“He explained, however, that [the minor] is not a candidate for probation as ‘we do not have the necessary services to accommodate [him] right now’. The officer classified the young man as a ‘security risk’ not only to himself but also [to] probationary workers.”
GIVEN A CHANCE
SKNVibes also reported that:
“Presiding judge, Justice Francis Belle told [the minor] he is sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labour but explained that the sentence is only to be carried out if he, within the next three years, is convicted of an offence which is punishable by in excess of six months imprisonment. Should this occur, the sentence imposed on the court would take effect.
“Justice Belle admonished the young man to take a serious look at his life with a view to making positive changes to his behaviour. [The minor] was also reminded by his Lordship to, during his day to day life, be aware of repercussions of being found guilty of contravening the law.”
STOPPED AND SEARCHED
Two weeks came and passed since his hearing. He must have felt that he had a new lease on life.
Then on February 4 at 1 a.m., while the vast majority of 17-year-olds were in deep slumber, he was outdoors.
This must have seemed incongruous to the police who saw him. ‘Doesn’t he look kind of young to be out so late…on a school night?’ they may have thought.
Whatever thought processes directed the police’s actions, they exhibited smart thinking. They stopped and searched him.
On his person, they found a 9mm pistol and eight rounds of ammunition. His was the seventh illegal firearm that the police force seized in 2009.
POLICE OPERATIONS
While perusing this year’s police press releases, SKNVibes found that 44% of males charged or convicted for possession of illegal firearm(s) and/or ammunition have something in common with this 17-year-old.
Of the 27 named men who police found with a firearm and/or ammunition – whether through security operations such as routine stop and search, foot patrols or a search warrant executed on the home – SKNVibes discovered previous run-ins with the law for 12 of them.
Their charges or court convictions were for offences such as robbery, wounding, wounding with intent, battery, possession of a controlled drug, possession with the intent to supply, housebreaking and larceny, throwing missiles, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent and failing to remain at the scene of an accident, among others.
Surprisingly, of the 12 men who SKNVibes learnt had prior criminal involvement, police detected only two of them by search warrant.
Police detected another two of these men by responding to the sound of gunshots.
Police detected eight (two-thirds) of the 12 men – including the 17-year-old – during routine stop and search operations. Sixteen (59%) of the 27 named men found with arms and ammunition were detected during routine stop and search operations.
“Stop and search operations are part of the force’s strategy to detect and prevent crime,” said Inspector Cromwell Henry. “The stop and search exercises are effective as they make persons with ill intent uncomfortable – if they are carrying contrabands or stolen goods – for fear of being intercepted by the police.”
The police PRO said the success of these stop and search exercises is far-reaching.
“They are successful as indicated by the statistics, both in the rate of detection of illegal items including firearms, and the overall reduction in crime so far for 2009,” Inspector Henry said. “These operations do not usually affect law abiding citizens, as they are intelligence led and targeted,” he added.
“Some inconvenience is caused to the general public at times, especially when vehicles are searched,” the police inspector said. “We apologize for the inconvenience and ask the public to bear with us."
Within the past couple of years, the stepped-up police operations on a whole have seemingly produced success.
As of November 17, 2008, the total number of firearms that police recovered for the year stood at 32 compared to 21 firearms for the entire year of 2007 and eight in the previous year.
By February 4, police seized the seventh illegal firearm for 2009, one-third of the total firearms seized in 2007.
On one hand, this could mean that the increased police efforts are working. However, there could be a sinister meaning behind these figures. It could be that more and more firearms and ammunition are flooding the streets, and high-risk youths like the ‘Wanted’ juvenile are drowning.
FROM ROBBERY TO GUN POSSESSION TO JAIL
The boy went back to court to face sentencing on June 16, having breached the conditions of his earlier suspended sentence.
SKNVibes reported that the judge told the teenager he seemed to have elevated his criminal activity from robbery to gun possession.
According to SKNVibes, “When questioned by His Lordship as from where he acquired the gun and what his intentions were, [the minor], seeming not to understand the severity of the situation, smiled and chuckled as each question that was asked.
“His Lordship told him that the court would not be mocked and ordered that he begin serving the three-year sentence immediately. He was, shortly thereafter, whisked away to Her Majesty’s Prison where he will serve his sentence with hard labour.”
In January, just before the judge handed down the suspended sentence - two weeks before his gun possession arrest - His Lordship asked the 17-year-old if he had anything to say for himself and his actions. Ironically, the boy replied simply, “I’m sorry”.
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