Enrico Johnny pleads guilty to gun, ammo possession

Tempers flared outside the Serious Offences Court on Monday when family members and friends of Enrico Johnny watched angrily as the Ottley Hall resident boarded the police transport off to prison for the next two and a half years.{{more}}

Johnny, 18, labourer of Edinboro, pleaded guilty to having .22 revolver and four rounds of ammunition in his possession.

Chief Magistrate Sonya Young sentenced Johnny to two years for the gun possession and six months for the ammunition.

Information reaching the court is that on January 18, at about 6:30pm, members of the Special Services Unit (SSU) were on mobile patrol in the Otlley Hall area when the defendant was seen at the side of the road in the company of some men.

Police stopped and alighted the transport and requested a search of Johnny’s person. The search carried out on the baby-faced youngster turned up the gun, which was found in his waist.

The barrel of the gun was checked and four rounds of ammunition were in it.

Under caution by the officers, Johnny said that he was coming from home and had the gun in his waist, and the police happened to find it on him.

President of the Bar Association and Johnny’s Lawyer, Kay Bacchus-Browne, said that her client did not waste the court’s time as he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. Bacchus-Browne said that she, however, did not belittle the seriousness of the crime and asked Magistrate Young not to impose a custodial sentence on the young man, but impose fine that would enrich the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“He did not give the police any trouble and he is contrite about what he did. Maybe he needs to find some new friends,” Bacchus-Browne said.(KW)