A man and a woman who both admitted having an unlicensed gun in their possession were yesterday sentenced to three years imprisonment each when they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
Fifty-two-year-old Neil Mc Bean and Shellon Taylor, 23, both admitted that on January 13 at Georgetown they had in their possession a .22 pistol without a licence when the charge was read to them by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
The jointly charged duo indicated that they were guilty with an explanation.
A third person, Alfred Benjamin, was also arrested but was absent from court as an investigation into a pending disorderly behaviour charge was being conducted.
Police Sergeant Lionel Harvey, prosecuting, said that on the day in question at 14:00 hrs, police received information from Taylor that she had gotten the firearm from Benjamin but had given it to Mc Bean.
The court then heard that the lawmen who later contacted Mc Bean at 147 Victoria Street, Albouystown, found the unlicensed weapon after he led them to where it was stashed in an area.
Harvey related to the court that Taylor had reported to investigators that she had pawned the gun to Mc Bean for $10,000. Subsequent police investigations led to the arrest of the defendants.
When given a chance to offer his explanation to the court, Mc Bean who said he has been a tailor for the past 17 years stated that he should never have gotten himself involved in such a matter; but did it only because he wanted to render some financial assistance to Taylor.
According to Mc Bean, three days before he was visited by the police, Taylor approached him with the firearm and explained that she wanted to leave it with him as security for a loan in order to travel to the interior to seek employment.
Mc Bean said that he decided to help the “sisteren” and thought there was no harm as the weapon had neither rounds nor a magazine and therefore it was seen as being useless. After collecting the gun, the defendant said, he hid it in some bushes.
Emphasising that what he did was wrong and he never should have taken the weapon in the first place, Mc Bean told the court to deal with his matter in whatever way it desired as he just wanted the case to end.
Meanwhile, Taylor in her explanation said that after being asked by Benjamin to keep the gun for him for two days, she took it to Mc Bean after that period had expired as he wanted to have it.
Not having any use for the weapon, Taylor said that she handed it over to Mc Bean. The young woman related that some time after, however, Benjamin returned and asked her for the gun and after she related to him that she had given it to Mc Bean; he [Benjamin] ordered her to retrieve it.
The court then heard from Taylor that upon requesting the gun from Mc Bean after explaining that Benjamin had returned and wanted it back, he [Mc Bean] told her “it gun be problems fuh me to get it back cause he done buy rounds for it.”
This, Taylor explained, prompted her to visit the station and involve the police who in company with her were able to retrieve the unlicensed weapon.
After hearing the case, the presiding magistrate said that taking into consideration both the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, each defendant would be fined $75,000 together with three years imprisonment each.
The magistrate in outlining the aggravating circumstances said that considering the age of the defendants, they would have known the consequences of their action and the fact that the offence is both serious and prevalent.
Regarding the mitigating circumstances, the court took into account that both defendants pleaded guilty to the charge in the first instance; saving the court considerable time by avoiding a trial and the fact that Mc Bean has been a tailor for the past 17 years and Taylor is unemployed.
