‘Third World’ awaits his fate after being found guilty

The fate of Nigel “Third World” Regisford will be decided come Monday, January 18, 2010.

At the Serious Offences Court on Monday, Chief Magistrate Sonya Young found the 40-year-old Calder resident guilty of possession of a Cougar Beretta 9mm semi-automatic pistol and nine rounds of ammunition on October 23, 2007, at Bonhomme.{{more}}

The prosecution’s case was that police officers went to Bonhomme, acting on information received about Regisford. On arrival there, the defendant’s jeep was spotted and then approached by the lawmen.

Prosecutor Inspector Nigel Butcher told the court that when the officers approached Regisford’s vehicle, he was asked to turn off the engine, but he refused to do so. Regisford then got out of the vehicle and ran.

The police did not capture Regisford. However, Butcher indicated to the court that the defendant dropped the gun while running from the police.

When Regisford took the stand to give testimony, he told the court that while driving in the Bonhomme area, a man by the name of “Junie” asked him for a ride, which he gave.

While traveling down a small hill, Regisford said that two other vehicles were traveling in the opposite direction and he had to stop because it was impossible for the vehicles to pass at the same time.

Regisford said when he stopped, someone pushed a gun through the passenger window of his vehicle and pointed it at him. “I run out the jeep now without stopping and all I heard was badaam, badaam, badaam. Three gunshots fire off your Ladyship,” he recalled.

The lanky lad said he fled the scene so quickly, he forgot to pull up the handbrake, which caused the jeep to collide with the oncoming vehicle that was at the bottom of the small hill.

He added that there were a lot people liming around the area, who also fled the scene. Regisford said that five other men ended up running alongside him after the shots were fired. Regisford told the court he returned to the scene about 25 minutes later and was told by persons that police had taken away his vehicle.

Under cross-examination, Regisford remained adamant that he was not carrying a gun with him that night. He said he thought someone was out to kill him.

Regisford said he was not wanted by the police in connection with any matter before the incident. He was arrested on December 27, 2008, at his home in Calder.

In her closing submission, veteran defense Attorney Kay Bacchus-Browne said it was strange that the police did not bring any civilian witnesses since there were so many of them on the scene the night of the incident. “How can you convict this man when so many civilians were there and none of them came to give evidence…Like the police word is the Bible?” Brown asserted.

Bacchus-Browne also pointed out that there was conflicting evidence in the prosecution’s case as regards the time of the incident and at the license plate number. Commenting on the prosecution’s case, Bacchus-Browne said that the police noted that Regisford attempted to pick up the gun after it fell from his waist and the police were about 6-7 feet away from him. “He would have been caught if he was that close and attempted to pick up the gun,” she noted.

This is second time in less than five months that Regisford has had bad luck pass his way. In September 2009, Regisford had a brush with death when he was ambushed and shot in his vehicle at his Calder residence.

He is currently out on bail pending a doctor’s report about his condition after being shot multiple times about his body with a shotgun.(KW)