DPP to appeal 4-year prison sentence under new Firearms Act
KINGSTON, Jamaica –Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewelyn on Monday announced that her office will be appealing a four-year and six months sentence handed down to a man who pleaded guilty to illegal possession of firearm.
Dennis Mundell, the first person charged under the new Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, received the sentence for unauthorised possession of firearm and unauthorised possession of ammunition.
At the time of his arrest, Mundell was wanted for almost two years by the police.
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“Upon further consultation and review of the FPRRA and the specific facts of this case (Rex v Dennis Mundell), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has formed the considered view that the interest of justice may be best served if a review and appeal of the sentence of four years and three months imprisonment is pursued in the Court of Appeal,” the release said.
According to the newly implemented act, Section 5 outlines that no one should be in possession of a prohibited weapon and that anyone who contravenes that order commits a felony and should be sentenced to life imprisonment or not less than 15 years.
The ODPP vowed to “take the appropriate administrative steps” to file the relevant appeal in order for the Court of Appeal to pronounce a more appropriate sentence, after scrutinising the provisions of the FPRRA.