The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 23-year-old man was sentenced to 13 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to an illegal firearm and ammunition possession in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Rasheen Burns appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes, after police found a .40mm pistol and six live rounds of .40mm ammunition in his car on October 26.

The prosecution said around 8.45am on the day in question, officers on duty stopped Burns while he was driving his Honda on Bernard Road. After they beckoned for him to stop, officers told him they suspected he was in possession of dangerous drugs and firearms and informed him that he would be searched.

While searching the accused’s vehicle, officers discovered the gun and ammunition in the car’s centre console. Burns was subsequently arrested and taken to the Central Detective Unit, where he admitted being the owner of the contraband.

During the hearing, Burns was represented by attorney Ian Cargill. He told the magistrate his client cooperated with police and admitted to the offence from the start. He also said Burns only had the weapon because someone had tried to steal his car earlier this year and he “stupidly” got an unlicensed firearm for “protection”.

After listening to Mr Cargill’s plea in mitigation, Magistrate Forbes accepted Burns’ guilty plea. He also told the accused he found it “deeply troubling and heartbreaking” that so many young men believed they could settle “perceived issues” through violence.

He stated that a gun was an offensive weapon and if a person were to use one, they would have used it with the intention of killing someone, since bullets don’t discriminate.

He sentenced Burns to 13 months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.