St Philip man admits to gun, ammo, drug offences

Desmond Bernard Clarke will have to wait a bit longer to find out if he gets the break he asked for after admitting to committing firearm, ammunition, and drug charges almost a decade ago.

Sentencing submissions are scheduled to be heard on Friday.

Appearing before Madam Justice Wanda Blair in Supreme Court No. 4A recently, the resident of Golden Drive, Palm Court, Fortesque Development, St Philip confessed to cultivating 50.59 kilogrammes of cannabis, possession of the illegal drug, and having a trafficable quantity of the drug.

He further pleaded guilty to having a .32 semi-automatic pistol and four rounds of ammunition without the relevant licence to do so. The offences took place on July 3, 2015.

Principal State Counsel Joyann Catwell outlined that officers went to a shop in St John where Clarke was standing behind the counter. They showed their warrant and searched the premises and found a haversack under the counter containing cannabis and cannabis seeds. When asked about the find, Clarke replied: “Officer, them is some marijuana seeds I got to plant.”

As the search continued, a cardboard box with cannabis stems and stalks was also found in the kitchen. Clarke told the police that he had brought them in from the gully.

A firearm was subsequently discovered in an oven mitt, and Clarke admitted: “Officer, I have that gun to protect my marijuana.”

He then took the police into the gully and showed them several areas under cannabis cultivation.

The convicted man, who is represented by attorney Marlon Gordon, asked the court for leniency, as he apologised for his past mistakes and pointed out that he was 27 at the time he committed the offences.