(CMR) A man who was caught on camera showing off a weapon outside a George Town bar and firing it twice in the air was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison when he appeared in court last week.
Kurt Stephenson Carter (31) was convicted earlier this year for possessing an imitation firearm with intent to commit a crime. Carter was seen as CCTV with the gun; however, it was not recovered. After a late guilty plea, he was charged and convicted for having an imitation rather than a real gun.
Evidence presented before the court was that on 30 December 2019, Carter fired the gun to intimidate, threaten and harass the people outside Bananas Bar; however, based on video footage, Justice Roger Chapple concluded that while some persons may have felt threatened, others were apparently impressed with the firearm.
Carter was apparently displaying the gun with pride to a group that was “reveling in gun culture”, the judge said.
Justice Chapple, in delivering his judgment last week, said the gun seemed very realistic as it flashed whenever Carter fired it. The judge also stated that Carter had no legitimate reason to be in possession of the firearm, to be showing it off or to be firing it. He also noted that the gun had not been recovered and remained in circulation in the community.
These circumstances, along with Carter's long rap sheet, which started out in 2008, were considered by the judge in handing down the sentence. The mandatory minimum sentence for someone who pleads guilty to possession of a real firearm is seven years. Since the gun was not recovered and there is no evidence that it is real, Carter was sentenced to over five years. Time was also added for the remaining part of a previous sentence he was serving outside of prison.
The five years and 10 months prison sentence also included a 20% discount for his admission.
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