by Linda Straker
- Amended legislation stops magistrates from granting bail
- Grant and Julien jointly charged with Possession of a Firearm and Possession of Ammunition
- Both men remanded to His Majesty’s Prisons
Two men from St Patrick have become the first to be charged under the amended Firearms Act, which went into effect on 1 August. The amended legislation stops magistrates from granting bail to people who are found with firearms that contravene its clauses.
Seon Grant, 37, a businessman of River Sallee, St Patrick, and Elis Julien, 37, a businessman of Mt Fendue, St Patrick, were jointly charged with the offences of Possession of a Firearm and Possession of Ammunition in connection with an incident that took place at Mt Fendue, St Patrick, on Sunday, 4 August 2024. Additionally, Grant faces a separate charge for Discharging a Firearm.
A news release from the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) said that both men appeared before Gouyave Magistrate Court on Wednesday, 7 August 2024 and were remanded to His Majesty’s Prisons. The matter was adjourned to Thursday, 8 August 2024.
Police records show that Grant was one 3 people charged in 2018 with Attempt to Commit Murder and Possession of a Firearm and Possession of Ammunition, after being arrested and charged for their involvement in the May Day shootout on Bathway Beach, St Patrick.
Under the amended legislation, only a High Court Judge can grant bail to a person charged under the Firearms Act. The amended legislation also mandates tougher penalties. Before the amendment, the penalty for possession of a firearm in the magistrate court started at EC$4,000 and up to a maximum of EC$20,000 or imprisonment for 2–5 years.
The new legislation states that for summary convictions, the magistrate cannot impose a fine; instead, there is a minimum of 10 years in prison or up to 20 years. On indictment, that is, when a person is tried in the High Court, previously, there was a fine of EC$20,000 up to EC$60,000 and imprisonment for 5–20 years. The new penalty will be imprisonment for a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of up to 40 years.
I used to go to Bathway beach with my father in the early 80,s I wonder what he would have thought if a shooting had happened then?
Less is more
Guns are not the problem, it is the people who use them to commit a crime.
Without the guns there would be no shooting!
You could also say ” without people there would be no shooting”