BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE handgun allegedly found in the possession of Leon Jeffers of Fort Thomas Road in Basseterre did not originate from the armoury of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF).
This declaration was made by Captain (Capt) Kayode Sutton, Public Affairs Officer of the SKNDF.
A police press release issued late last month stated that “David Leon Jeffers of Fort Thomas Road was formally arrested and charged for the offence of Possession of Firearm and Possession of Ammunition, which were allegedly committed on 24th August 2013”.
An investigation conducted by this media house revealed that Jeffers claimed a soldier had sold him the firearm; a claim which the now ex-soldier vehemently denied.
It was also revealed that the soldier, whose name was given as Private Steve James, is no longer in the Defence Force.
According to Capt Sutton, James’ conduct had contravened the Force’s Regulations and he was tried in a Military Court, found guilty and subsequently dismissed.
James was tried after it was learnt that he had allegedly sold a pistol and five matching rounds of ammunition to Jeffers.
At his trial in the Military Court, it was revealed that James had found a pistol but he did not disclose the find to his superiors. And after the allegation was allegedly made by Jeffers, the SKNDF got wind of it and launched an investigation into the matter.
It was disclosed during James’ trial that he gave three different versions as to where he found the firearm.
One of which he allegedly said that the firearm was found within proximity of the Warrant Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers quarters at Camp Springfield, and another was that while in a certain village in the suburbs, he saw a bag within a patch of marijuana and, on opening it, he had found a firearm and a quantity of ammunition within.
"I would like to categorically state that the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force does not condone acts of dishonesty by its members or does it encourage members to break the law. In this particular matter, the weapon found by the former soldier is not autonomous to the SKNDF, but he was dishonest in the disclosure of the find; therefore, coupled with his false statements, he was unceremoniously discharged from the Force," Captain Sutton said.
He was arrested by the police because of Jeffers’ allegation, investigated and subsequently released without charges following his denial of the allegation.
