Footballer’s gun possession conviction blocks chance for scholarship

The opportunity for a young man to obtain a football scholarship has been lost following his conviction for having an illegal firearm.

This was revealed by attorney-at-law for Renaldo Sanato Trim, Angela Mitchell-Gittens, when the matter came up in the No. 2 Supreme Court today.

Trim, of 3rd Avenue, Licorish Village, My Lord’s Hill, St Michael, had earlier pleaded guilty to having a .38 revolver and one round of ammunition in his possession on May 19, 2020.

Trim, who was a reserve of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) at the time of the incident, was preparing to embark on a football scholarship but was unable to do so after he was incarcerated.

On the last occasion, Mitchell-Gittens told the court she would reach out to the Barbados Football Association to see if the scholarship would still be available upon his release.

“I was to find out if the scholarship was still available but it appears that it is not,” Mitchell-Gittens informed Justice Randall Worrell.

Crown Counsel Romario Straker is appearing on behalf of the Crown.

Justice Worrell adjourned the matter until December 3, when Trim’s time spent on remand will be read into the record and the matter finalized.

The court had heard that on May 19 last year, Trim was at the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) where he was a member of the sports programme.

Acting on information received, police went to the BDF and transported him to the District ‘A’ Police Station where he indicated that a firearm being sought was in his vehicle at the Garrison.

He was taken to the Garrison and a search was conducted and the firearm and ammunition were discovered in the trunk of his vehicle.