Weapons, ammunition found in house; man pleads guilty

When police found semi-automatic pistols and scores of rounds of ammunition in his house almost two years ago, Jamal Neall Stapleton initially denied ownership.

But he changed his tune as he stood in the dock of Supreme Court No. 4 on Friday and pleaded guilty that on November 4, 2024, he was in possession of a 7.62 x 39 calibre AK-47-style ‘Mini Draco’ pistol and a 9×19 calibre Taurus semi-automatic pistol without a valid licence and 62 rounds of ammunition without a valid permit.

Acting Senior State Counsel Paul Prescod told the court that police officers obtained a search warrant which was executed at Stapleton’s Lower Silver Hill, Christ Church, home and discovered a red haversack in a storage area near the bathroom which contained the firearms, magazines and ammunition.

Stapleton, who was 37 at the time, denied ownership and knowledge, telling the officers: “I ain’t know nothing about dem. A lot of people pass through here.”

The ammunition was made up of 27 9mm and 35 AK-47 cartridges.

Defence attorney Safiya Moore requested a pre-sentence report, and Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell adjourned the case until October 30 for sentencing submissions.

(JB)