A bar owner was brought before a Senior Parish Judge at the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court last Tuesday after he was accused of taking $450,000 as payment to provide a firearm licence to the complainant.

The court was told that last May 11 and 14, Dean Denton took $200,000 and $50,000, respectively, from the complainant for the firearm licence.

He is also accused of taking another $200,000 on July 28 as payment.

Denton, who pleaded guilty to three counts of obtaining money by false pretence, told Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague that he only told the man that he had “a link” to get the license.

“I didn’t tell him that I work at the FLA [Firearm Licensing Authority]. Mi know somebody weh seh dem can do it… Mi tell him is a link mi have.”

“I would like to know more about those links,” Cole-Montague said in response, which did not elicit a response from the accused.

It was revealed that Denton is accused in a similar matter in St Catherine.

Denton, who has been in jail since November 19, was ordered to reimburse the complainant in the sum of $450,000 as part of his sentence. He was also told to return to court on April 21, when a social enquiry report is expected to be provided to the court.