‘Life imprisonment for repeat gun offenders’

RUNAWAY crime coupled with the high prevalence of illegal guns in the country prompted an Appeal Court Judge to call for life imprisonment for repeat gun offenders yesterday.

Justice Roger Hamel-Smith, who is hearing magisterial appeals in the San Fernando Supreme Court, described possession of an illegal firearm as an act intended to kill. “Therefore, the crime should carry life in jail,” Hamel-Smith said. Appeal Court judge Lionel Jones sat with him adjudicating on an appeal of Tony Huggins, 34, of San Fernando, against a jail sentence imposed by a magistrate for possession of a gun and ammunition. Huggins was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment with hard labour on November 22, 1999, by Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan, after being found guilty of possession of arms and ammunition. Huggins appealed against the severity of the sentence.

Acting Senior State attorney Trevor Ward, submitted that Huggins had two previous convictions for a similar offence. Their Lordships upheld the submission, saying in the circumstances, the magistrate’s sentence was appropriate. In disallowing the appeal and affirming the sentence, Justice Hamel-Smith said it was his view that the penalty for repeat gun offenders, should be life imprisonment. “It was too prevalent in society, the objective of having a gun is to kill. It is close to committing murder,” Hamel-Smith said.