22-year-old Dillion Alexander of Tarish Pit is now at inmate the Dominica State Prison for possession of a firearm without a license and possession of ammunition without being the holder of a license.
Alexander was jailed for 14 months and also fined 5,000 to be paid in one year for the charge of possession of ammunition without a license.
Brief facts
According to the facts, the police executed a search warrant at the home of Ann Alexander where he resides, and the search resulted in the seizure of a .40 Springfield pistol firearm and 8 rounds of ammunition hidden in a toilet room.
He pleaded guilty to both charges before Magistrate Bernard Pacquette when the charges were read to him.
Mitigation
His lawyer Wayne Norde in mitigation, begged the court not to impose a custodial sentence, saying his client had “fully cooperated with the police, was remorseful and had his children to support, was industrious and had youth on his side” given his age.
But the Magistrate was of the view, that given the seriousness of the offense and the prevalence of firearms-related offenses in Dominica, a custodial sentence was appropriate.
After his guilty plea, the prosecution offered no evidence against Elsa Oscar, Janelle Cyprian, and Glendina George who were all jointly charged with him (Dillion Alexander) on gun-related offenses.
In other gun-related matters, Javid Rahim Cyprian of Tarish Pit was denied bail on two-gun related offenses after he pleaded “not guilty.”
The prosecution, led by Inspector Francis Laville told the court that under the Bail Act, the prosecution was “objecting to bail”.
Cyprian, he told the court was charged with a gun-related and under section 7 (1) (d) of the Bail Act he was not entitled to “bail as a right”.
The firearm used he started was “not recovered”, the defendant had intimidated a police officer, and “it was not in the public’s interest to grant him bail.”
Unrepresented, Cyprian told the court, that he had a seven-month-old son who depended on him and begged to be granted bail. But in his ruling, Magistrate Pacquette stated that the court was “satisfied that it was not in the public’s interest to grant him bail and accordingly, bail was denied.”