Illegal gun and ammo cost offender $32 500

Chastising Jamar Elvis Rommell Griffith for not having learnt a lesson from his previous illegal gun conviction, a High Court judge slapped the repeat offender with over $30 000 in fines and ordered that all be paid in nine months.

The Husbands, St James resident pleaded guilty in the No. 5A Supreme Court to having a .40 calibre Beretta semi-automatic pistol and 10 rounds of ammunition on April 6, 2022.

Speaking from the dock, Griffith, who was convicted for a similar offence over a decade ago, apologised to the court for his actions, stating, “I am willing to change myself and willing to do the right things.”

Justice Christopher Birch, however, noted that although Griffith’s previous conviction was some time ago, reoffending was a serious aggravating factor, and he firmly chastised him for it.

“Having suffered the first time [with] a firearm, common sense should have said to you, ‘No, no, I went to jail already for a gun. I ain’t going to jail for a second’,” he said.

Speaking during the sentencing hearing, the judicial officer stated, “Since I last spoke to you, another person has been murdered, and others have been forever changed due to firearms. Thirty people have lost their lives to gun violence this year. I may not be able to stop it all, but I might be able to stop one. So much time could not have passed between your first offence and this one that you could not understand the ramifications and the consequences.”

Asked by Justice Birch where he got the gun, Griffith replied that he found it in the bush while walking in Haynesville, St James.

“And you did not think that you could just leave it or call the police and say, ‘There’s a firearm here in the bush. I will stay here until you get here?’ Having already suffered over a firearm, a second firearm called your name? That is what you want me to believe? You, a previously convicted gunman happened to walk past a bush, in a place with nuff foot traffic where people walk up and down all that time, and you just happened to look in a bush and see a gun and ammunition and pick it up. That’s what you want me to believe?” the judicial officer said.

“That’s how it happened, Sir,” said Griffith, who is represented by Safiya Moore.

Justice Birch replied, “I can’t get people to find work, to find good things on the ground, or to go and paint old people’s houses out of the goodness of their hearts, but I have people — both men and women in this country — who can always go in a bush and find a firearm.”

He said the offence had no mitigating factors, noting that the high-powered nature of the pistol and Griffith’s lack of cooperation — giving a “no comment” interview — were aggravating elements.

“You have a previous firearm conviction. However, enough time has passed between that one and this that we can treat you as a first-time offender. Your probation report indicates that you are at a high risk of reoffending, but you have said that you propose to change your life. We shall see if that is true going forward,” he continued.

Giving a ten-year starting sentence, Justice Birch discounted one-third for the early admission of guilt and the 758 days Griffith spent on remand, leaving 1 685 days to be served.

Alternately, he ordered the convicted man to pay $25 000 for the firearm, $10 000 of which was due immediately and $7 500 for the ammunition. The balance is to be cleared by next April. Failure to do so will trigger the remaining custodial sentence.

Justice Birch also advised Griffith not to find himself back before the law courts, warning that the penalties would be much higher.

Senior State Counsel Romario Straker prosecuted the matter, which is scheduled for review on October 31.