CHARLESTOWN, Nevis - CHASE HAMILTON of Hanley’s Road, Nevis was sentenced to a five-year term at Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) after he was caught in possession of a firearm reportedly stolen from the police and a quantity of ammunition.
Hamilton, who on Tuesday (Feb. 23) appeared before Her Worship Yasmine Clarke at the Charlestown Magistrate’s Court, pleaded guilty to the two charges.
According to the facts presented in court, while on duty in the Stoney Grove area on November 20, 2009, officers of the Nevis Traffic Department observed a white motorcar (RA 581) travelling to Charlestown from the direction of Gingerland.
The officers stopped the vehicle and told the driver to reverse in the Horsford’s Parking Lot because they suspected him of carrying a firearm, cannabis and stolen goods. During the search, the officers saw two ‘baby bags’ in the vehicle and on examination they found one of the bags contained one .38 Revolver and six matching rounds of ammunition.
Hamilton and the items were taken into custody at the Charlestown Police Station, where investigations revealed that he was not a licensed firearm holder and the .38 Revolver was registered to the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force.
In mitigation, defence counsel Chesley Hamilton pleaded with Her Worship to take into consideration that his client did not waste the court’s time and had also assisted the police in a very serious offence; in that the .38 Revolver is one of the three firearms that went missing from the Gingerland Police Station on Friday, October 9, 2009.
Before passing sentence, Magistrate Clarke told Hamilton, “You are 20 years old and have five previous convictions. I have spoken to you on previous occasions and I am somewhat saddened to see you back in front me for such a serious offence.”
I see a tendency in you…I spoke to you over and over and over,” the Magistrate said, adding, “I commend you for cooperating with the police but I still have to uphold the law. I don’t know what else to say to you. I have lectured you over and over, the charges that appear before me show that my talking meant nothing to you…I hope you learn from this.”
Magistrate Clarke sentenced Hamilton to three years imprisonment for possession of the firearm and two years for possession of the ammunition. The sentences are to run consecutively.
In the same court, Mavrick Tyson of Stoney Grove pleaded guilty to beating two police officers on Tuesday (Feb. 16) in Charlestown. He was fined $1 000 to be paid forthwith and a similar amount to be paid in three months. If in default, he will have to serve a three-month term at HMP.
