Riccardo McKenzie, a 28-year-old Jamaican citizen, has been sentenced to one year and eight months in prison by an Antiguan court for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The sentencing took place on Friday following an arrest made earlier in the week.
On August 19, Antiguan police, acting on received information, intercepted a silver Toyota Belta in the Green Castle area of Bendals.
McKenzie was found in the vehicle alongside another Jamaican national, O’Neil Swaby.
During a search of the car, officers discovered a 9mm pistol with seven rounds of matching ammunition in the chamber.
The firearm, described as a ‘ghost gun’ due to the absence of a serial number, was found in plain sight on the back seat. Police also found a ski mask in a bag on McKenzie’s person, raising suspicions about potential criminal intent.
Both men appeared in court on Wednesday, where McKenzie took full responsibility for the crimes. As a result, charges against Swaby were withdrawn, but he was subsequently deported to Jamaica on Thursday morning.
Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel, presiding over the case, noted that the circumstances of the discovery suggested the two might have been planning to commit a crime.
Consequently, McKenzie received concurrent sentences of one year and eight months for the firearm charge and nine months for ammunition possession.
While immigration authorities have initiated deportation proceedings for McKenzie, the court ruled that he must first serve his sentence in Antigua before any potential deportation can take place.
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Who knows maybe they already committed many crimes with that ghost gun
Imagine all the crimes they’ve already committed! I hope he gets a one way ticket upon his release! Send them home! One criminal at a time!!!!
MAKE ANTIGUA GREAT AGAIN!!!!
WTF is a ghost gun?
And in the midst of all the gun violence,,we’ve been experiencing,,
y was not a LOUD message,,like 10yrs,,,,sent?
It’s crazy that people still getting a slap on the wrist
MAGISTRATE: …DEFENDANTS ‘…MIGHT HAVE BEEN PLANNING TO COMMIT CRIME…?’
MAGISTRATE WRONG LIKE HELL
If this news report is ‘…FACTUALLY’ correct that consequent upon:
(i) ‘…The Defendant ‘WAIVING’ his right to a ‘…FULL TRIAL:
(ii) …Agreed, or Legally Advised to ‘…PLEAD GUILTY’ to the criminal charges:
(a) …UNLAWFULL POSSESSION OF FIREARM: and
(b) …UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF AMMUNITION: then after the ‘…BRIEF FACTS’ (Not Evidence on OATH/AFFIRMATION), were given, the ‘…Sitting Magistrate’ has said as reported in the news:
‘…That the circumstances of the discovery suggested that the two might have been planning to commit a crime’ [Paragraph 8], then such ‘…SUGGESTION’ by such ‘…Magistrate’ was ‘…WRONG LIKE HELL.’
Professionally, a criminal investigator or ‘…ANY POLICE OFFICER,’ may give ‘…EVIDENCE’ as to ‘…CONDUCT’ that which aroused ‘…SUSPICION.’
This shall be followed by a ‘…Course of Action’ on his part, and if anything what he discovered.’
No Magistrate shall ‘…INJUDICIOUSLY’ enquired neither of the ‘…POLICE,’ nor of the ‘…DEFENDANT, ‘…What were you going to do with the Firearm and Ammunition?’
PM’S PERCEPTIONS AND FEELINGS
This news report, may now strengthen ‘…Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s:
(a) ‘…PERCEPTIONS: and/or
(b) …FEELINGS’ that some members of:
(a) …The MAGISTRACY: and
(b) …The JUDICIARY’ might not be ‘…DOING or …SAYING’ something right.
Given the maximum penalty of a ‘…TWO-YEAR TERM OF IMPRISONMENT,’ whether or not:
(i) ‘…TRIED AND CONVICTED: or
(ii) …PLEADED GUILTY,’ the imposition of ‘…ONE YEAR AND SIX MONTHS,’ seemed quite
appropriate [Section 4: Firearms (Amendment) Act: No. 27 of 2017].
MORE AMENDMENT….?
What the hell in seeking ‘…MORE AMENDMENT,’ when this ‘ACT’ allowed for ‘…NO’ alternative ‘…PENALTY OPTION ‘ of a FINE?’
INDICTMENT- 1MPRISONMENT OF 10-YEARS
THEY COULD SIMPLY INDICT, as the existing ‘…PENALTY IS TEN YEARS IMPRISONMENT.’
Like this darn ‘…TAUNT- COME FOR ME’ [PM Browne to Bar Council President].
EVERYONE SHALL READ
‘…DAILY OBSERVER:
26 AUGUST 2017.’
Scumbags into this country…where are immigration guy’s??? Too valiant to stop little people with tickets..and too mujercitas to allow into this country this piece of c…p people.
We immigration officers are 2 things:
1) cowards with uniform
2) or corrupts more worse than any hard core cr …ls
Jail for a very very long time
It says concurrent sentence, 1 year for the firearm and 8 months for the ammunition. This will not result in a 1 year and 8 month prison sentence. It would result in 1 year prison term. Had me questioning which one is consecutive and concurrent again?
If concurrent sentence, 1 year. If consecutive, 1.8 year.
They should have made his rass a ghost one time.
It is so important that we exercise greater control of the folks that we allow into the country especially those who remain here indefinitely. The weapon and paraphernalia found on them would suggest a pattern of criminal behaviour. We welcome visitors but we do not want anyone coming here and adding to our misery.
Antigua and Barbuda is a small place. Immigration officials must be more robust and proactive in tracking down these visitors and remove them from the state at the end of their initial visitation period , and before they become a menace to society.
This man is allegedly wanted in Jamaica for murder. While the Antiguan government solution to fighting crime is to put a curfew on children it’s more likely that these are the people committing those brazen daytime robberies.
But time will surely tell if a curfew makes any meaningful difference in the crime rate.
putting a curfew on children under 18 but the robbers are 18 and over doing their thing in broad daylight light 🤣😂 Gaston thinks he knows everything but you should know that you can’t run the country from your radio station wirhout proper consultation and dialog with the professionals.
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