Mom jailed for 12 months for ammo

A 27-year-old housewife was yesterday jailed for 12 months for having 17 rounds of nine millimetre ammunition at her home on Duncan Street, Port-of-Spain. Although she pleaded guilty to the charge, Chareka Guillard, a mother of two small children, was sent to prison for an offence which Magistrate Avason Quinlan said was too prevalent in the society. However, the woman’s husband Roger Guillard pleaded not guilty and was placed on $100,000 bail with a surety after the court found out that he had 20 previous convictions. The court heard that around 5.25 am yesterday, members of the Port-of-Spain CID, including the investigator PC Evan Reece, executed a search warrant at the Guillard’s home. In the middle room of the apartment, PC Reece found a white bag with the 17 rounds of ammunition in a clothes basket. PC Reece informed the couple of the discovery and cautioned them. They were both arrested and taken to the Port-of-Spain CID office.

Both were formally charged and taken to the Port-of-Spain Fourth Magistrates’ Court. When the case was called, Chareka Guillard, who was unrepresented, pleaded guilty, while her husband pleaded not guilty. She explained to the court that her brother had brought the basket of clothes for her to wash before Christmas. She said the ammunition did not belong to her, although she knew what they were. The magistrate stood the matter down for ten minutes for her to consider her sentence. On her return, Magistrate Quinlan said the offence was a very serious one which carries a very serious penalty.

The magistrate said she took into consideration the fact that the woman pleaded guilty and that she had no previous convictions. But she pointed out that the court had to give a sentence which was a just one. She had to determine whether the accused should be punished. Quinlan said she had to take into account the deterrent effect on those who are minded to be in possession of ammunition. She then imprisoned a sentence of 12 months simple imprisonment on Chareka Guillard. This sentence agitated Roger Guillard who was also seated in the dock. He left the courtroom gesticulating, still upset that his wife was jailed. His case was adjourned to January 20.