CHARLESTOWN, St. Kitts – RANDY BROWNE of Craddock Road, Nevis was sentenced to serve three five-year terms at Her Majesty’s Prison after pleading guilty in the Charlestown Magistrate’s Court to smuggling of a firearm, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.
The 23-year-old appeared last Tuesday (Oct. 12) before Magistrate Claudette Jenkins to answer to the charges stemming from a search of his home on May 19, 2010, in which the police found one 12-gauge shotgun and 81 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Browne’s defence counsel, Chesley Hamilton, argued that his client was involved in an accident in 2008 which left him in a state of unconsciousness for some time. Hamilton told the court that Browne had to be air-dashed out of the country for advanced medical treatment and he now suffers from seizures. The lawyer also presented a medical certificate to the court that was written by a doctor in 2008.
However, before sentencing, Magistrate Jenkins said the medical certificate only spoke to Browne’s accident at the time of its occurrence. She also stated it indicated that he was treated for his injuries and that three months later an update should have been given.
The Magistrate noted that when Browne was questioned by the police, he claimed that someone gave him the firearm and ammunition. Therefore, she added, he knew what they were and he had enough time to take them to the police.
Magistrate Jenkins declared that the ammunition does not match the firearm; therefore, “a gun is somewhere out there”.
She explained that the Appeal Court states that once one pleads guilty to a charge, one third of the sentence should be discounted.
Magistrate Jenkins also stated that she had taken the application made by Browne’s defence counsel into consideration, but because of the amount of ammunition and the amount of gun-related cases in the Federation, she thought that he deserved a seven-year sentence on each count but decided to give him five years.
