A Dodds inmate returned to the High Court today and pleaded guilty to gun and ammunition charges.
Leandro Renaldo Dominic Pope of Lower Holder’s Hill, St James, is also expected to return before Madam Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell in the No. 4 Supreme Court tomorrow in connection with another matter which he has asked the court to consider. The nature of that case was not disclosed.
Pope, who is scheduled to be released in November 2021, admitted that on March 6, 2017 he had a .38 automatic pistol when he did not have a valid licence and 18 rounds of ammunition when he did not have the necessary permit. It’s the second conviction of this kind for him.
Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Alliston Seale, who read the facts, said the illegal weapon was found when police executed a search warrant at Pope’s residence around 5:15 a.m. The gun was kept in two shoes boxes in his bedroom. In the chamber was one round of ammunition while the magazine had seven. The remaining ten were found in a bag.
“The gun is mine chief,” Pope allegedly said when police asked him to account for the items. However, when he was again questioned by police who told him of his rights as a prisoner, Pope reportedly said: “I ain’t want no lawyer. I want my charge sheet.”
The gun and ammunition according to a firearms expert were in good working condition.
Dressed in white, long-sleeved shirt, light grey slacks, white belt and shoes, Pope accepted the facts outlined by the prosecutor and also agreed that he had 13 convictions for burglary; two for assault; one for theft; one for serious bodily harm, one for possession of a .22 revolver and one for possession of 13 rounds of ammunition.
