Deacon’s resident apologises for having high-powered weapon which he said belonged to his grandfather

The High Court has imposed a $35 000 fine on self-confessed gunman Garendra Alexander Thomas.

Of that amount the Redman’s Road, Deacon’s, St Michael resident had to pay $10 000 immediately. The balance must be paid in three months if he wants to avoid spending 1 437 more days in prison which represents the remainder of a ten-year starting sentence imposed on him as an alternative.

Thomas had pleaded guilty to having a Tech 9 mm semiautomatic pistol and ten rounds of ammunition on March 16, 2021.

The gun and bullets were discovered when police executed a search warrant at his house.

Thomas admitted ownership when asked to account for the illegal weapon at the time. However, he refused to answer any other questions or give the police a statement on the matter. Most of his replies were “no comment.”

Before Justice Randall Worrell on Thursday, Thomas apologised for his crimes.

“I would like to say that I am sorry. Sorry to the court. I’d like to say that I’m sorry to society. I am sorry to my family and know that I made a mistake but I am looking to do better with my life, my son and my daughter and also myself and my family. I would like to ask for your forgiveness please.”

When the judge asked him today where he got the gun he replied: “It was my grandfather’s. Before he left here it was his. It was in the house . . . .”

Asked why he needed it, he replied: “I didn’t thought that I needed it sir because I never take it up to move it on the road or nothing so. I never thought I needed it.”

He added that he did not hand the weapon over to police because, “really and truly why I didn’t give it in was  . . .  if I was to walk into the station with a gun in my hand I don’t know what would have happened.”

In mitigating on his behalf Michael Lashley Q.C. who appeared with attorney-at-law Simon Clarke urged the court to “temper justice with mercy” when sentencing the first-time offender.

Lashley stated, “I believe that this young man can be rehabilitated. He made a mistake and I believe that a young man like him can be given a second chance.”

The attorney urged the judge to impose a non-custodial sentence in the form of a fine of $20 000 for the firearm and $10 000 for the ammunition.

In his sentencing submissions however, State Counsel Romario Straker, who prosecuted the matter, said given the calibre of weapon, a ten-year starting sentence was appropriate from which the time spent on remand, consideration for the guilty plea and one-year deduction for his mitigating factors should be credited.

The alternative he said should be a fine in the sum of $40 000 for the firearm and $10 000 for the ammunition.

After assessing Thomas’ financial means and that of his family to pay a court-imposed fine, Justice Worrell ruled that he pay $10 000 forthwith for the ammunition.

The remaining $25 000 – which is the fine imposed for the illegal gun – must be paid in three months or he will spend the alternative of 1 473 days in jail. Thomas had already spent 510 days on remand in connection with the gun offences.