Ganja farmer says guns were for protection

“Na worry yourself. Dor worry!”

Those were the comforting words Orland Francois left with a relative before he was taken to Her Majesty’s Prison to serve a six-year sentence for gun and ammunition possession.{{more}}

When he first appeared at the Serious Offences Court on Monday, February 18, Francois pleaded guilty to being in possession of an AK 47 assault rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, two rounds of 12-gauge ammunition and 1,816 grams of cannabis.

Chief Magistrate Sonya Young, who said she would pray before handing down sentence the following day Tuesday, sentenced the Chateaubelair resident to six years on the AK 47 charge, two years on the shot gun, six months each on the bullets and marijuana charges.

The sentences will run concurrently.

Francois was met in the Morne Ronde Mountains on February 15, after police officers raided his shack.

He was met lying on a bunk with the shotgun beside him and a further search by the officers discovered the AK 47 hidden in the rafters of the shack.

Francois, who admitted to planting marijuana as a means of a livelihood, told the court that the guns were for his protection.

He said he found the AK 47 at Richmond Bay and was considering selling it because he had no ammunition for it.(KW)