St Philip man awaits his fate in gun, drug case

Lawyers are to make their case sentencing in the gun and drug cases of convicted man Stuart Kenny MacMillian Harewood before the High Court on November 19.

The Bequest, St Philip resident pleaded guilty before Justice Christopher Birch on Wednesday to having a .32 calibre pistol and 13.2 grammes of cannabis in his possession on April 9, 2009.

Crown Counsel Danielle Mottley told Supreme Court No. 5A that police were on duty, on the day, when they saw Harewood walking along Baxter’s Road, St Michael.

On seeing them, he walked briskly and kept looking in their direction, arousing their suspicion. Harewood was stopped and a search was requested, to which he consented.

But as the search began, Harewood reached for a black weapon under his shirt and tossed it across the road, the court heard. It was retrieved, he was arrested and taken to a police station.

Mottley said when the search continued at that location a bag with 19 greaseproof wrappings was found in Harewood’s groin area containing cannabis. Told of his right to an attorney, Harewood reportedly told police at the time: “I don’t want no lawyer now, I will get one when I get court” even as he admitted that he had “no gun licence”.

He explained that he had the weapon for “a while” and was seeking to “get rid of it”. The cannabis, he said, was “a little drugs… to sell to tourists to get a little money”.

Harewood, who is represented by attorneys-at-law Michael Lashley QC and Sade Harris, also dictated a statement to police. In it he explained that on the day he was caught he was taking the weapon to a “fella . . . to give him. . . for his protection” in his bid to rid himself of it.

It was on the way to drop it off that he was stopped by lawmen and the illegal items were found, he said in the statement.