(Jamaica Gleaner) – Earl Fray, father of convicted hijacker Stephen Fray, has been found guilty of negligence after his firearm was used by his son last April in the attempted hijacking of a CanJet Airline flight in Montego Bay, St James.
Resident Magistrate (RM) Vivienne Harris handed down the verdict on Thursday in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court.
Harris said while reviewing the evidence in the case, she observed that Fray’s filing cabinet, where the gun had been stored, had not been tampered with. She also said the evidence did not indicate any sign of forced entry into the room where the filing cabinet was located.
“Either the filing cabinet was left open, or it was locked but the key was left in such a way for your son to access it,” the RM told the elder Fray. The 51-year-old father was found guilty of negligence causing loss or theft of a firearm.
His licensed .38 Smith and Wesson revolver was used by Stephen to take 160 passengers and the crew of the CanJet Airline Flight 918 hostage at Sangster International Airport on April 19, 2009. Earl Fray’s attorney, Martyn Thomas, asked the judge to be lenient in sentencing his client.
“I am asking, when sentencing him, not to bear down on him,” Thomas requested of RM Harris.
Fray is to return to court for sentencing on November 3.
His son, Stephen, is currently serving an 83-year xprison sentence for gun-related crimes and his attempted hijacking. He will serve a maximum of 20 years as the sentences run concurrently.