$23 000 in fines for gun and ammo

A first-time gun offender was told on Friday that he had to shell out “some serious money” if he wanted to feel the court’s mercy, otherwise he would spend some time in jail.

But 38-year-old Jason Leon Ronald Knight, of 17 Main Avenue, Eden Lodge, St Michael, had no funds when he turned up at the No. 3 Supreme Court for sentencing on a 10-year-old gun crime.

As such, he was unable to pay the $15 000 forthwith fine imposed for having a .357 Magnum handgun on June 29, 2012. Another $8 000 was imposed for his possession of eight rounds of ammunition, but he has three months in which to settle that amount. Failure to pay the amounts will attract an 18-month prison sentence.

After he was informed by Knight’s lawyer, Simon Clarke, that he had no money to pay the upfront fine, Justice Carlisle Greaves said “the public’s confidence has to be maintained,” as he insisted that the public “must never perceive that these courts are soft” when it comes to firearm matters.

“If you want to feel the mercy of the court, bring some serious money or go to jail. He needs $15 000 today and $10 000 in three months or spend 18 months in jail,” the judge added.

The court heard that police were on patrol on the afternoon of June 29, 2012 when they observed Knight in the passenger seat of a vehicle which was along Nursery Close, St Michael. On reaching the driver’s door, they saw that Knight was holding over and fidgeting with something on the floor. Police identified themselves and requested a search, to which he consented. However, nothing illegal was found on his person or in the haversack he was holding when he exited the vehicle.

A search of the vehicle, however, found a rusty handgun stashed under the seat Knight had been sitting in.

“That ain’t mine,” he said when asked to account for the weapon.

Police also found six rounds of ammunition in the gun and two more in another bag. Knight was taken into custody and told of his rights.

“I don’t want no lawyer. I want to tell the truth. It is my gun . . . . I find it . . . in the Bayland in some bushes,” he further told the cops.

Knight added that he had stashed the gun under the seat of the vehicle when he saw lawmen because “I get frighten”.

Defence attorney Clarke mitigated strongly on his client’s behalf, urging the court to impose a total of $14 000 in fines on his client rather than the $25 000 the prosecutor was requesting.

He asked that Knight be fined $10 000 for the firearm and $4 000 for the ammunition, and be given three months to pay the money. That submission, however, was not accepted.

In the end, Justice Greaves imposed a $15 000 forthwith fine or the alternative of 18 months in prison from a starting sentence of eight years. Deductions were made for Knight’s guilty plea, the 996 days he had spent on remand, and the delay in the court hearing his case.