Gunman’s jail time amended

That was the amended jail term imposed on self-confessed gunman Antonio Fernando Athelston Corbin when he reappeared in the No. 4A Supreme Court yesterday.

Corbin, 50, of Husbands Road, The Garden, St James, had pleaded guilty to having a .40-calibre Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistol and six rounds of ammunition in his possession on October 4, 2021.

He was represented by attorney Harry Husbands, while Principal State Counsel Olivia Davis prosecuted.

Justice Donna Babb-Agard had originally sentenced him to four years in prison from which she had deducted the 774 days he spent on remand, for having the firearm.

She also fined him $6 000 forthwith or 321 days – three years minus the 774 days he spent on remand – in default for the ammunition.

Yesterday, she told Corbin he was entitled to the full one-third discount for his guilty pleas in accordance with the guidelines set out in Teerath Persaud.

She explained that she had “inadvertently omitted to calculate that in the final sentence” and brought Corbin back to “correct its calculation”.

The judge then sentenced him to four years for having the illegal gun. She deducted one-third for the guilty plea and the 774 days he spent on remand.

She then ordered him to serve the remaining 199 days in jail for the gun. That sentence will start from March 23.

Justice Babb-Agard fined him $6 000 forthwith for having the ammunition. She explained she had started at three years in jail for the alternative.

She deducted the one-third of 730 days and the 774 days on remand which left a deficit of 44 days. She then sentenced Corbin to time served for the ammunition.

The court had heard police executed a search warrant at Corbin’s house and found the silver and black loaded firearm under the top mattress of his bed. It had in six bullets.

Police asked him to account for it and Corbin denied it was his, saying: “I ain’t know about no gun.”

He later said: “I ain’t know about no gun permit.”

He was taken to Holetown Police Station where he was allowed to speak to his attorney.

Corbin was further interviewed and told police he had been living at the house for about five years. He said he had friends who had access to the house and, as far as he knew, they would go there while he was not at home.

He gave police a list of names of people he said had access to the house.

He, however, indicated he had not seen some of them for a while, and those he had recently seen, did not have access to his bedroom.

A statement from one of the men said he was last in the house in June 2021, when he went to feed Corbin’s fish but he never went into the bedroom.

Corbin continued to deny knowledge of the gun saying: “I never had a firearm. I don’t think I would have a licence issued for a firearm. As I tell you, I know nothing about no firearm so I can’t have no permit or licence for nothing so. I still don’t know nothing about that firearm.”

The gun, when examined, was found to be in excellent working order. (HLE)