St James man to pay $35 000 fine for gun and bullets

A “very foolish mistake” of having an illegal gun and ammunition will cost a 32-yearold man $35 000.

If Quasim Alex Ricardo Richards, a boat operator from Culvert Terrace, Haynesville, St James, does not pay the fine in seven days he must spend five years at Dodds prison.

Justice Carlisle Greaves imposed the sentence in the No. 3 Supreme Court on Monday after Crown Counsel Romario Straker and defence attorney Romain Marshall agreed that the fine in the stipulated time would meet the justice of the case.

Richards pleaded guilty to having in his possession on May 18 this year, a 9mm pistol and nine rounds of ammunition without the valid licences to do so.

Prosecutor Straker told the High Court that police executed a search warrant at Richards’ residence and the illegal weapon and bullets were found in a bedside table.

In a statement to police at the time of their investigation, Richards said that he didn’t have the firearm to harm anyone. He claimed that a friend of his had died and knew where he had put the gun so he went and took it and later placed it in the bedside table.
Before Justice Greaves the accused said: “When I get the firearm sir I made a very foolish mistake moving the firearm and taking it to my residence. . . I want to apologise.

“The past few months were the hardest of my life. I miss my family, my job, my kids, everything outside, sir. I just hoping and pleading for forgiveness. I am willing to do anything it takes sir, not to go back to jail.”

Taking into consideration the submissions of the prosecutor and the defence, Justice Greaves imposed a starting sentence of eight years in jail. He then credited Richards with a one-third discount for his guilty plea and the 103 days he had spent on remand leaving him with five years more to serve.

But the judge took into account that the convicted man had no previous criminal record, had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, the gun and ammunition were recovered and did not appear to have been used.

He then imposed a fine of $25,000 for the gun possession and $10,000 for the possession of ammunition which must be paid in seven days.

“Drop the gun.” the judge advised Richards. “It is better to live in peace than in pieces.”