St Stephen’s man acquitted of firearm, ammunition charges

A nine-member jury has acquitted Kohbeay Kemania Browne of illegal firearm and ammunition offences.

The St Stephen’s Hill, Black Rock man had denied having a 9 mm Luger calibre semi-automatic pistol and 15 bullets on April 15, 2012.

A jury of two men and seven women in the No. 3A Supreme Court heard testimony from Lowell Wallace, a Royal St Kitts and Nevis Police Force officer on a training assignment with the Regional Security System with other officers from around the Caribbean.

In his statement, he said that several of them arrived at a Fontabelle nightclub, and after heading back inside after using his phone, he accidentally touched a man, who began speaking to him aggressively and rejected his apology.

Wallace said he informed the other officers of what had occurred, and when they approached the man, he continued to act aggressively before running outside to a car. The officer said that the man, headed towards them, pulled out a gun and threatened them. Wallace said that the other officers struggled with the man, and the firearm dropped.

In his defence, Browne admitted that he had been at the nightclub but denied ever having a firearm, saying there had been no DNA, fingerprints, or forensic evidence linking him to the offence.

Principal State Counsel Joyann Catwell prosecuted the case along with State Counsel Treann Knight. Browne was self-represented.

Thanking the jury for its service, Justice Anthony Blackman told Browne he was free to go.