By Jenique Belgrave
A retired policeman who has testified in several gun cases locally and regionally was ordered on Thursday to pay $20 000 forthwith for having more than 100 bullets without the necessary permit, or spend two years behind bars.
The sentence was imposed on former superintendent of police John Mark Annel, of Kenrick Hutson Drive, Lucas Street, St Philip, when he appeared before Madam Justice Pamela Beckles in the No. 5 Supreme Court.
Annel had admitted to having 105 rounds of ammunition – 55 rounds of 9 mm calibre and 50 rounds of .45 calibre – without a valid permit on September 20, 2017.
“The court considered the pivotal role you played in the Barbados Police Service for almost four decades; however, with your years of experience and position of trust, you should not have found yourself in this situation,” Justice Beckles told the retired superintendent.
The judge pointed to the seriousness of the offence, the prevalence of such crimes in society, and Annel’s position within the police service – which should have made him familiar with the rules of the rifle club where he bought the ammunition.
“You definitely should have been aware of the provisions of the Firearms Act, and you definitely should have been able to appreciate why these rules are in place, the most obvious being that there must be checks and balances with respect to the amount of ammunition in society,” Justice Beckles stated.
Starting sentencing at six years of imprisonment, she took into consideration Annel’s early guilty plea, his previously clean police record, his exemplary pre-sentencing report and expression of remorse. A downward adjustment of two years was made and a one-third discount given for the early guilty plea.
The judge agreed with the submissions of the State and defence that a non-custodial sentence would serve justice in this case, and ordered that he pay $10 000 on each count forthwith, or be imprisoned for the remaining sentence of two years.
According to the prosecution, the former ballistic and firearms expert was taken into custody after police stopped him at the Shell Service Station in Bank Hall, St Michael and found two boxes of ammunition – one with 9mm and the other with .45 bullets – in his possession.
During his interview with police, Annel said he had visited the range of the Barbados Rifle and Pistol Federation to practise with his service pistol and purchased both boxes of ammunition but was hindered from using them as people were already shooting “down range”.
He left the facility with the intention of taking the bullets back to his office at Sugar Cane Mall but was intercepted by officers who inquired about the ammunition he had in his possession.
After handing over his bags containing the ammunition and the service pistol, he was taken to the Criminal Investigations Department.
When questioned by police about whether he was aware of the rules of the club regarding purchasing ammo, Annel stated that unused ammunition had to be handed back to the range officer before leaving the facility.
He was asked why he did not do that, and he responded: “It had been my practice that if I did not shoot all of the ammo, to take that ammo away with me to my office and to return on another occasion to shoot it out.”
“I have been doing this for some time and believe that the club respected my status as a police officer and as a firearms expert . . . . I was never told that I should not continue to do that,” he added.
Annel also denied that he was involved in selling ammunition.
Senior Counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens represented the retired firearms expert while Principal State Counsel Olivia Davis was the prosecutor.
jeniquebelgrave@barbadostoday.bb
