THE?ATTORNEY-GENERAL will not be appealing the recent judgement by the Court of Appeal that says the mandatory minimum sentence for having a gun or even one bullet is unconstitutional
“I am aware of the judgement [read last Friday] and we would to look to see whether or not it is worth it to appeal. I personally will not be advising an appeal from it. We will amend the legislation accordingly and leave it up to the judges to determine what level of sentences should be imposed going forward in gun-related activity,” Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite told the DAILY?NATION.
He said he was confident that the judges would do the right thing.
“We know when a crime is a bad crime and we know when you might be soft on a chap because of particular circumstances.
I have faith that it does not mean that judges will automatically not impose severe sentences when there is merit to it.”
The mandatory minimum seven-year jail term for first-time offenders and the mandatory minimum 15 years for a repeat offender have been controversial parts of legislation, with attorneys arguing against it and challenging its constitutionality.
The Firearms (Amendment) Act was passed in 1998, by Parliament, in response to an upsurge in gun-related crimes.
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