Time served for Kadooment Day weapon offences

After deductions for a 13-year delay in trial, almost five years spent on remand, and his guilty plea, Shaquille Shamar Springer was deemed by the High Court to have served his sentence on charges of possessing an illegal firearm and ammunition.

Springer previously pleaded guilty in the No. 5 Supreme Court to having an unlicensed firearm and three rounds of ammunition on August 6, 2012.  

“The unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition are serious offences for which Parliament intended to be visited with swift penalties, clearly signalling society’s intolerance of and disapproval for such offences, as this type of behaviour endangers society and its citizens,” Justice Pamela Beckles said as she handed down her ruling.  

Police and soldiers were on duty in the area of Deacons Primary School during Grand Kadooment when several loud explosions, like gunshots, were heard. An officer saw two men, one of whom was Springer, running towards the school, and they were pursued and apprehended by the officers. The area was searched, the firearm was found, and Springer admitted that he had dropped the gun during the pursuit.  

While delivering the sentence, the judge found several aggravating factors of the offence, including its nature and gravity, its prevalence in society, the fact that the firearm was in a public place, Springer’s attempt to hide the gun by dropping it near the school, and his effort to evade police.  

Setting an eight-year starting point for the firearm and three years for the ammunition, Justice Beckles highlighted that Springer’s early guilty plea, remorse, lack of previous convictions, the delay in bringing the matter to trial, and his young age of 17 at the time were mitigating factors and deducted two years.  

He was then credited with one-third for his admission of guilt and for the almost five years spent on remand.  

“After reviewing the submissions from both the prosecution and defence, which miraculously were identical, it is the order of this court that you are sentenced to time served in respect of these offences,” she said. “I hope you learn from this experience and don’t find yourself back before this court for any such offences.”