24 charges against cop

Saturday, February 20, 2010

SERGEANT Russell Robinson, the policeman held in the February 4 gun and ammunition bust at Munster Road in Kingston, was yesterday slapped with 24 criminal charges.

Charles Morris and David Blagrove — the two civilian workers at the police armoury and stores — as well as businessman Garnett Pennington have also been hit with a battery of charges in connection with the huge arms bust.

Nineteen firearms and 10,600 rounds of ammunition were seized in the Munster Road operation and subsequent raids the St Andrew South and the St Andrew North Police Divisions in what is said to be one of the worst scandals to affect the Jamaican constabulary, tainted by several cases of corruption by some of its members.

The weapons and ammunition were allegedly stolen from the police armoury and police believe they were scheduled to be sold to the criminal underworld for several thousand dollars.

Sergeant Robinson has been charged with:

• 18 counts of illegal possession of firearms;

• four counts of breaching the Corruption Prevention Act;

• one count of illegal possession of ammunition; and

• one count of storehouse break-in and larceny.

Morris and Blagrove are both charged with 18 counts of illegal possession of firearms, one count of illegal possession of ammunition and one count of aiding and abetting storehouse break-in and larceny.

Pennington faces one charge of illegal possession of a firearm, one charge of illegal possession of ammunition and one count of aiding and abetting storehouse break-in and larceny.

The four, who are expected to appear in court Monday, were held after a team of police officers on patrol noticed suspicious movements at a house owned by Pennington. When the cops checked out the scene they were allegedly told by Robinson, who identified himself as a cop, that nothing was amiss.

The four cops were not convinced and decided to search the premises and a motor vehicle in the yard. The search yielded 18 guns, including M-16 rifles, shotguns, Uzi sub-machine guns, pistols and revolvers, 9,700 rounds of assorted ammunition and police vests.

Resulting from that operation, an additional gun and another 300 rounds were confiscated the St Andrew South and St Andrew North Police divisions, while 600 additional rounds were seized on premises on Mountain View Avenue.

Police said cash totalling $787,000 was also seized at Pennington’s businessplace, which is also located in East Kingston where the guns and ammunition were found.

Further investigations revealed that the guns, ammunition and vests were stolen from the Police Armoury and Stores.

Police investigations have since revealed that a gun-running business was being operated at the Munster Road premises which is located close to the often volatile communities of Back Bush, Jarrett Lane, Jacques Road, Burgher Gully, and Rockfort.

Acting Police Commissioner Owen Ellington, who was encouraged by the work of the four cops who made the arms seizure and ignored Robinson’s plea for leniency, promoted three of the policemen and said the other, a district constable, would be justly rewarded.

Ellington ordered the armoury closed following the arms bust, and officers from the Inspectorate Branch of the constabulary have since been conducting an audit.

Robinson was rated by his colleagues as a model cop and was slated to be the ‘poster boy’ for promoting a newly designed uniform that the police should soon be wearing.

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24 charges against cop