A 23-year-old Union Island man registered his first criminal conviction when he pleaded guilty to gun and ammunition charges at the Serious Offences Court on Monday.
Rasheed Frogget, a marine engineer, was charged alongside his parents, Dexter Frogget and Josephine Jones, that on June 6, at Ashton, Union Island, they had in their possession one Glock pistol and 35 rounds of 9mm ammunition without a license issued under the Firearms Act.
Frogget’s parents pleaded not guilty to the charge when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Colin John at the Serious Offences Court.
According to the facts presented by the prosecutor, Inspector of Police Renrick Cato, on June 6, between 5 and 6 p.m., police officers in Union Island, acting on information, executed a search warrant on Dexter Frogget’s home.
Sergeant 45 Forde, along with a party of officers, met Jones at home.
Forde identified himself and the officers to Jones, informed her of the search warrant and enquired about the whereabouts of the elder Frogget.
Around the same time, Dexter emerged from the back of the house, and he and Jones consented to the search, which began, in their presence, in Rasheed’s bedroom.
During the search, a Glock 17 pistol with serial number BUND419 and 35 rounds of 9mm ammunition were found in the bottom drawer of a chest of drawers.
Forde showed the couple the items and pointed out the offences.
Forde also cautioned the couple, photographed the items and kept them as exhibits.
He later arrested the couple and took them to the Union Island Police Station, where he interviewed them separately in the presence of a justice of the peace.
The couple denied knowledge of the firearm and ammunition.
The following Monday, Forde interviewed and cautioned Rasheed, who told the policeman that he had found the items but had forgotten to turn them over to officers before travelling to St. Vincent.
Forde subsequently arrested the trio and charged them with the offences.
In his submission to the court, defence lawyer Grant Connell asked for a non-custodial sentence and urged that the court impose a fine.
He said the younger Frogget was the breadwinner and asked for leniency so he could be a good citizen.
The lawyer told the court that Rasheed had identified a policeman to whom he was going to hand over the gun and ammunition, but he travelled to the mainland and forgot to do so.
Counting the ammunition, Connell told the court that Rasheed may have saved 35 lives that might have been lost had the ammunition fallen into the wrong hands.
John sentenced Rasheed to 36 months in prison for the possession of the firearm and 24 months for the ammunition.
The sentences will run concurrently, meaning Rasheed will serve the longer sentence.
The magistrate also ordered that the firearm and ammunition be confiscated.
The charges against Jones and the elder Frogget were withdrawn.