Taximan’s costly bid to make money from gun, bullets

The illegal possession of a gun and ammunition 11 years ago will cost a taxi man $17,500 which must be paid within the next eight months, Justice Randall Worrell ordered on Wednesday.

He imposed the fine on Rodney Ricardo Matthew, of Bynoe Road, Worthing View, Christ Church, who had pleaded guilty to the charge of having a .38 revolver in his possession on June 28, 2010 when he did not have a valid licence.

He also admitted to having 53 rounds of ammunition without a valid permit.

The items were discovered when police officers executed a search at his home.

Senior Crown Counsel Olivia Davis, who prosecuted the case, submitted that while there was no evidence of use of the weapon the convicted man had indicated that he had the gun and bullets to make money.

She said: “The number of rounds of ammunition supports the story of the possession for financial gain.”

Matthew’s attorney Mohia Ma’at had previously urged the No. 2 Supreme Court to consider handing down a sentence of time served given the fact that he had spent a “significant amount of time” on remand at HMP Dodds.

But during the sentencing Justice Worrell said while Matthew had spent some three years on remand, he was not going to “get off scotch free . . . but you have thrown yourself at the mercy of the court”.

For the possession of a firearm, a $15,000 fine to be paid in eight months was imposed or the alternative of one year in prison. On the ammunition charge, Matthew was fined $2 500 in eight months or three months in prison.

The prison sentences if activated are to run concurrently.