December 12, 2020
The case against the younger brother of the late Prime Minister Professor Owen Arthur was not one that warranted a custodial sentence.
The court instead ordered Richard Delisle Arthur of Maynards, St Peter, to pay a $30 000 fine for having 102 bullets on January 31, 2012.
Justice Randall Worrell imposed the fine today in the No. 2 Supreme Court where he noted the “exemplary” pre-sentencing report which assessed Arthur as a low-risk offender who had no criminogenic needs. Arthur expressed regret for the matter and indicated that he did not view it as a malicious act as he had a licence to carry a firearm and ammunition.
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It was Richard DeLisle Arthur’s age, his previously clean record, the glowing testimonies of witnesses and a psychologist’s report which said his mental state would be impacted negatively by prison, that weighed heavily in his favour.
This was the view of Justice Randall Worrell, who ordered the 58-year-old, long-standing member of the Barbados Rifle Association (BRA) and a licensed firearm owner since 2003, to pay a fine of $30 000 in 12 months or spend six months in prison, for having illegal bullets at his home eight years ago.
“Mr Arthur has served in a shooting capacity for his country and I believe that may be the reason for him having the ammunition,” the judge said in the No. 2 Supreme Court yesterday.