A man who pleaded guilty to having an unlicensed firearm in his possession on his birthday was yesterday sentenced to three years imprisonment after appearing before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
Additionally, he was remanded on two counts of threatening behaviour after being accused of threatening to kill two of his friends.
Ramesh Rampersaud accepted that on February 18 at Wineperu, Essequibo River he had in his possession one 12-gauge single barrel pump action shotgun without being the holder of a firearm licence.
The defendant who appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court denied, however, that on the same day he threatened to kill Fitz Benjamin and Anthony Setgee.
In presenting the prosecution’s facts of the case, Police Prosecutor Shellon Daniels told the court that on the day in question, the defendant was imbibing at his birthday party with both virtual complainants who are his friends. According to the prosecutor, after leaving his party the defendant went over to Benjamin’s house where he accused him of having an affair with a relative. After the two got into an argument, the court was told that Setgee then intervened and dealt Rampersaud two lashes and ordered him to go home.
Daniels said that the accused left shortly after but told the men that he was going home to get a gun and come back to kill them.
The court heard that moments later, Rampersaud returned with a 12-gauge single barrel pump action shotgun and he threatened to kill them.
The police were later summoned to the scene and the defendant was arrested and charged. Daniels said that investigations uncovered the firearm under the defendant’s mattress at his home.
Rampersaud when given a chance to speak refuted the facts presented by the prosecution though he did not deny being in possession of the shotgun.
Rampersaud’s story is that he was at his employer’s mining camp on the day of the incident when he found a shotgun lying around and was about to hide it after he saw Benjamin and Setgee approaching. According to him, the shotgun was not his and neither was it found at his home.
The unrepresented Rampersaud maintained that he never threatened the complainants but was simply trying to hide the shotgun when he saw them approaching.
The prosecution however told the court that after the police found the shotgun at the defendant’s home, he told the lawmen that he had found the weapon on the Wineperu Trail two years ago and had kept it in his possession ever since because he was afraid of handing it over to the police.
When asked by the acting chief magistrate if he had found the shotgun on the trail two years ago as the police were contending, the defendant clearly responded “yes.” Following this confession the magistrate handed down the three-year prison sentence and a $75,000 fine.
The accused was however remanded to prison for the threatening behaviour charges which he denied. Those matters were transferred to the Bartica Magistrates’ Court for March 3.
