A 19-year-old mason who chose not to disclose what he was doing with a loaded revolver in his possession will spend the next 18 months doing hard labour in prison.
Jerrel Alexis, of Pleasantville, pleaded guilty to having a .38 revolver and two rounds of ammunition in his possession when he appeared before San Fernando Magistrate Kerianne Byer.
When asked by the magistrate why he had the gun, Alexis remained silent.
Court prosecutor Sgt Krishna Bedassie said around 5.30 pm on Friday, PC Hayden Dookhie and other officers of the Southern Division Task Force were patrolling the Toradale area when they saw Alexis walking along the road.
Dookhie became suspicious when Alexis turned in the opposite direction and walked away quickly.
Dookhie came out of the vehicle, searched Alexis and found the revolver, loaded with two rounds of ammunition, was tucked in his pants waist.
Asking for leniency, Alexis said his common-law wife was pregnant and she had no one else to care for her. The prosecutor confirmed Alexis was a first time offender.
However, the magistrate said the offence was serious and carried an eight-year jail term and a $25,000 fine. Noting the prevalence of the firearm-related offences in the country, she said a message must be sent as guns were causing destruction in society.
"God knows what you were going to do with this," she said as she sentenced him to 18 months on the gun charge and nine months on the ammunition charge, but the sentences were ordered to run concurrently. The magistrate also commended Dookhie for his keen sense of observation and quick response.