Gemswick man pays $24K in fines for gun, ammo

His agreement to take a firearm into safekeeping for an elderly woman has cost a Gemswick, St Philip man $24 000 in fines.

Anthony Sylvester Mayers reappeared in the No. 5 Supreme Court, where Justice Pamela Beckles ordered him to pay the fines for having the unlicensed firearm and ammunition on October 4, 2024.

Justice Beckles said: “Barbados has strict gun laws for a reason as the illegal possession of firearms fuels violence, fear and the loss of life in our own communities. They are capable of causing death and serious injury.”

Stressing that unlicensed firearms undermine public safety, she told the convicted man: “You were foolhardy in not handing over the firearm to the police or seeking the advice of any of your friends, some of whom you admit are police officers.”

Noting that each case must be determined by its own unique set of circumstances, she pointed to several aggravating factors, including that the ammunition was live and the prevalence and gravity of such offences, before reaching starting points of ten years for the firearm and four years for the ammunition.

The judge weighed this against his previously clean record, early plea, acceptance of responsibility and the lack of evidence that the firearm had been used in the commission of any offence.

Justice Beckles also pointed to the statement from the elderly woman who corroborated his story to the police, and reduced each sentence by three years.

She ordered Mayers to pay $20 000 for the firearm or spend 1 677 days in prison. He was also instructed to pay $4 000 for the ammunition, failing which he would serve 217 days.

The fines, which were all due immediately, were paid.

Mayers was represented by Senior Counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens, while Acting Senior State Counsel Maya Kellman prosecuted the case.

The court heard that, upon receiving information, police went to Charnocks, Christ Church and, while in the area of the Grantley Adams International Airport, saw a vehicle driven by Mayers heading in the direction of Coverley.

They stopped and searched the vehicle before taking him to his home, where a safe was found in a bedroom closet. Inside was a firearm in a plastic bag, along with four rounds of ammunition wrapped in foil paper.

Mayers told the police that the firearm had been given to him for safekeeping by an old lady he ran errands for who lived in St George, as her house had been undergoing repairs.

“She said she didn’t want anybody to stick her up with it,” the convicted man told officers, adding: “I didn’t remember the gun because I don’t know the last time I went into the safe. My work schedule is very hectic and I forget I had it in the safe.”

He had it for five months, he said.

(JB)