-sisters on bail
A twenty-four-year-old man, who was found with a gun and a quantity of ammunition beneath some clothing on his bed frame was jailed for three years while his two sisters were granted bail on Friday when they appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton.
Efrane Duggan of Coomacka Mines, Upper Demerara River, pleaded guilty to the charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court. Meanwhile, his sisters Tenesse Duggan, 26, and Rehena Duggan, 21, of the same address, both pleaded not guilty to the same charges.
It is alleged that on January 22 this year at Duggan’s home, Efrane, Tenesse and Rehena were found with a .32 revolver without being the holder of a firearm licence and three .32 live rounds of ammunition without being the holder of an ammunition licence.
Prosecutor Desiree Fowler stated that on the day in question, police acting on information received conducted a search at the home where they discovered the revolver and the ammunition concealed under some clothing on the bed frame. The prosecutor stated that Efrane told the police that the gun and ammunition belonged to him and that his sisters had not known about them. Fowler stated that Efrane had also told the police that he had found the gun and ammunition at Mabura, 111 Miles, Potaro Road and he hid them on the bed frame. The Duggans were all arrested and later charged.
However, their lawyer Nigel Anthony stated that the court should take into consideration that Efrane had admitted that the gun and ammunition were his and his sisters hadn’t known about them. He stated that Efrane came with a “clean hand” and asked that the magistrate be lenient with his sentencing. The lawyer noted that the gun was a low calibre weapon but the magistrate stated that “a weapon is a weapon and it can do damage.”
The lawyer then applied for bail for Tenesse and Rehena, stating that they both had an unblemished record in the court. He also noted that Tenesse is the sole bread winner of her family.
The prosecution made no objections to the bail application for the sisters and the magistrate subsequently granted it in the sum of $60,000 each.
The magistrate then ordered that Efrane pay the fine and spend three years in prison. Tenesse and Rehena have to return to court on January 28.