Walvaroo man escapes jail time due to earlier clean record

A Walvaroo man’s clean criminal record saved him from spending the next year in prison after he was found guilty of illegally possessing ammunition at his home.

Akeem Phillips, 21, appeared at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court before Senior Magistrate, Tammika McKenzie, on Tuesday, December 10 2024, where he was charged with possessing five rounds of 9 mm ammunition without a license issued under the Firearms Act.

Phillips also was charged alongside another defendant that on December 9, 2024 at Kingstown they had in their possession 2.9 grams of cocaine, a controlled drug, with intent to supply it to another; and without lawful authority attempted to introduce 2.9 grams of cocaine, a prohibited article into the Central Police Station.

Phillips pleaded guilty to all the offences; his co-accused denied the charges. The facts presented in court are that WPC 829 Farrell was on duty at the Central Police Station, Beat and Patrol, attached to the station office when Phillips and his co-accused arrived at the station with a black North Face book bag to hand over clothing to Jason Richards, who was a suspect in custody at the time.

WPC Farrell instructed Phillips’ co-accused to remove the clothing from the book bag. The man complied and placed one shirt, one boxer shorts, one belt and one pair of brown Clarks shoes on a nearby table.

WPC Farrell then instructed Phillips’ co-accused to turn the pair of shoes upside down. When he did so, a small transparent ziploc bag fell out of the shoes.

PC 921 Williams, who was standing in the station office at the time, picked up the bag and observed that it contained two razor blades and a white rock substance which appeared to be cocaine.

The officer cautioned Phillips’ co-accused and questioned him about the contents of the bag. WPC Farrell then informed and arrested the men of the offences of controlled drugs and prohibited article.

Phillips, who was interviewed and cautioned, volunteered a written statement, admitting to the allegations. However, Phillips’ co-accused did not give a statement.

When a search warrant was executed at Phillips’ home and premises, five rounds of 9mm ammunition were found. After the white rock substance was weighed and examined, it was determined to be cocaine.

The men were charged for the offences of controlled drugs and prohibited article. Lawyer, Grant Connell, who represented Phillips in the matter, told the court that Phillips is a businessman who had no previous convictions.

Connell said that Phillips never brandished the ammunition nor carried it in public, and has “walked the straight and narrow road for 21 years.”

He asked the court to impose a suspended sentence on the young man. The senior magistrate fined Phillips $1,500 to be paid by December 18, 2024, in default of which he will spend one year in prison.

He was ordered to pay $500 forthwith or spend six months in prison. The senior magistrate also sentenced Phillips to 17.5 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. Phillips was also fined $180 forthwith, with a default of six months imprisonment.

The senior magistrate noted that there is an upsurge in gun-related crime in the country, and added that the only reason she was suspending the sentence is because this was his first conviction. Phillips will be sentenced for illegal drug possession today, Friday 13.