Villa resident jailed for 15 months on ammo possession

Murder accused Recardo McFee was handed a 15-month jail sentence on Wednesday, after he pleaded guilty to having 30 rounds of ammunition in his possession.

McFee, 27, was charged that on May 4, 2016, he had in his possession one .380 Glock pistol without a licence under the Firearms Act. He was also charged that on that same date he had 30 rounds of .380 ammunition without a licence under the Firearms Act.{{more}}

Further, he faced two counts of having 10 rounds of .380 ammunition without a licence under the Firearms Act.

However, the Villa resident only pleaded guilty to having the 30 rounds of ammunition, which was accepted by the Crown. The three remaining charges were withdrawn.

Police say that on May 4 around 12:05 p.m., ASP Scott, who is attached to the Narcotics Division, headed a party of officers on a joint land and sea patrol with the Coastguard.

Acting on information received, the Coastguard went in search of a speedboat and both parties were informed that the speedboat was heading towards Rose Place. However, the vessel was met deserted.

Meanwhile, a squad of officers, who were making their way towards the Rubis gas station from Edinboro, spotted McFee crossing the road with a backpack and heading into a yard.

The officers alighted the vehicle and ran into the yard and shouted “Police!”

Upon hearing their shout, McFee ran and the officers gave chase.

Police reported that McFee jumped down into a gutter and crawled under a culvert that runs under the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. However, he was cut off at Bentick Square where the culvert ended.

The Villa man was arrested and taken to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), along with his backpack, from which police recovered 30 rounds of .380 ammunition.

The officers questioned if he had a licence for the ammunition and McFee replied, “No, I don’t know nothing about dem deh.”

He was then cautioned and replied, “Is alyo put them deh.”

Police also recovered black clothing, one pair of black gloves and a black hat, along with jewellery in the bag.

During mitigation, McFee’s lawyer Ronald Marks said that his client dropped out of the Bishop’s College at fourth form and had followed the wrong company, which caused him to be imprisoned from 2007 to 2010.

After his jail term, Marks said his client went to Canada and applied for refugee status after attempts were made on his life. His application was turned down.

Marks said since McFee returned to St Vincent, several attempts were made on his life. Most recently it was reported that a poisonous substance was smuggled into the prison to kill him while he was on remand.

The lawyer noted that no weapon had been found with the ammunition and urged the court to bear the mitigating factors in mind.

In response, Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias said she considered McFee’s age and that he is not past redemption. She, however, stated that she must send a message to persons who deal in illegal ammunition.

“I cannot let you go scot-free,” she said.

The Chief Magistrate sentenced McFee to 15 months imprisonment and informed him that he has a right to appeal the sentence.

Time spent on remand would also be considered in his sentence.

McFee is also charged with fellow Villa resident for the murder of 10-month-old Mozarie Lee of Fair Hall, who succumbed to gunshot wounds to his stomach on Friday, October 7, 2016.

Both men were also charged with the attempted murder of Shelly-Ann Durham, a 27-year-old babysitter of Fair Hall and Mozart Lee, a 39-year-old audio technician of Fair Hall, the baby’s parents.

The two will reappear at the Serious Offences Court on December 9.(AS)