$26 000 in fines for fleeing with gun in underwear

After fleeing and being captured by police with a gun in his underwear, Rico Rarah Raneal Forde said that the weapon was for his protection.

The Lower Estate, Salters, St George resident now has to pay $26 000 in fines after pleading guilty in the No. 3A Supreme Court for having a Smith & Wesson 9 mm semi‐automatic pistol and nine rounds of ammunition without a valid licence on February 7, 2020.

Police officers went to Bishop’s Road, Government Hill, and saw a man running in a southerly direction towards them.

One officer observed him trying to remove something from his waist and shouted: “Stop! Police!”

Looking in their direction, Forde then ran towards Martinique Road and was pursued and caught. He told the officers: “Yes, a gun in my underwear and a magazine in my back pocket.”

After he was searched and the items found, the now convicted man was asked to account and replied: “I got it for protection cause some men rob me and shoot me last year.”

He admitted that he had no valid licence to possess the gun or bullets.

In his written statement, Forde told police that he was beaten and robbed by men on the way home from work in June 2019. In January 2020, he saw a man hiding a gun and stole it to protect himself.

During his sentencing, Justice Anthony Blackman ordered Forde to pay half of the $20 000 fine for the firearm immediately, with the remainder due in six months. The $6 000 for the ammunition must be paid within three months. Failure to pay will result in him having to spend 812 days in jail.

Principal State Counsel Joyann Catwell appeared for the prosecution along with State Counsel Treann Knight, who suggested an eight‐ to ten‐year starting point with the relevant deductions for his plea and 891 days on remand. Alternatively, she proposed a $20 000 fine for the firearm and $9 000 for the ammunition.

The prosecution pointed out that the weapon was loaded and in good working order, and that Forde had tried to evade arrest, while mitigating was that the firearm had not been used and was recovered. The offender had no prior criminal record, had cooperated, and expressed remorse.

Also highlighting her client’s lack of previous convictions, defence attorney Shadia Simpson said that since then, Forde has not had further brushes with the criminal justice system and had fully cooperated with police.

She asked that he be fined $20 000 for the firearm and $6 000 for the ammunition.