Teenager gets three years over imitation gun
(CNS): Nineteen-year-old Justin Ramoon has been given a three year prison sentence for possession of an unlicensed firearm with intent. Chief Justice Anthony Smellie handed down the sentence on Friday following his guilty verdict the day before. Ramoon had faced charges of attempted murder after pulling a gun on Sven Connor. However, as police were never able to find the weapon or prove it was real, the charges were reduced. The judge told Ramoon that he hoped the teenager would use the time of the sentence to reconsider the direction his life is going in.
Ramoon, who has already served eight months in custody, denied the charges and at his trial he gave evidence that he was nowhere near the scene of the crime — Fairlawn Road, George Town — on 21 February, but at a cook-out at the house he was staying in George Town.
However, Connor, who had recently been released from jail after serving ten years for manslaughter, said there was no doubt in his mind that the man who tried to shoot him with a semi-automatic weapon was Ramoon. During the trial Connor said that he had seen “his face, plain as day … I saw him, I know him.”
Connor said he believed Ramoon may have been sent by a man named Roydell Robinson, who is related to Ramoon. Connor admitted he had been previously charged with the attempted murder of Robinson but those charges had been dropped.
In his verdict the chief justice said he found Connor to be a clear and unhesitant witness whose evidence was compelling before he found Ramoon guilty of the charges.
Category: Local News
The lil FOB should have gotten 10 years MAX! 3 years….PLEASE!!
In 2008 our Law-makers UNANIMOUSLY assented to revisions to Cayman Firearms Law which removed mandatory 10 year sentence for gun/ammo offences, and reduced this to as little as $500 fine and 12mos! Little wonder we are now seeing the escalation in weapons-related crimes. Further, the Youth Justice Law (2005 Revision), protects youths under 17 from anything near the courts full sentencing power under the Firearms Law. "There need be no fear that any ten- or twelve-year-old will be given ten years for an air gun or for gang membership. The authorities in the Cayman Islands have never imprisoned anyone in that age group to life or to any mandatory minimum and we are not about to start doing so," Mr. Bulgin said at the time. This is precisely why more teens are being targeted/utilized by gangs. We need to call our MLAs and explain to them how different this document is from when it was put in place in 2005 and to restore the serious penalties for these types of serious offenses. Law abiding people should have nothing to fear. Here is an abstract from the much-relaxed 2008 Law:
General restriction on carrying firearms and wearing bullet-proof vests in public
16. (1) No person shall carry any firearm in any public place unless at the time when he carries such firearm he has about his person a Firearm User’s (Restricted) Licence authorising him to carry such firearm in such place.
(2) No person shall carry or wear a bullet-proof vest in any public place except with the prior written approval of the Commissioner.
(3) Any person found carrying a firearm, or carrying or wearing a bullet-proof vest, in any public place in contravention of subsection (1) or (2) may be arrested without warrant by any constable and such firearm or bullet-proof vest may be impounded.
(4) Whoever contravenes subsection (1) or (2) is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine of five hundred dollars and to imprisonment for twelve months.
Full 2008 Revision to Firearms Law is here: http://www.radiocayman.gov.ky/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/SITE83/GAZETTES/GS2008/GS352008.PDF
If you are man enough to pull agun on somebody u should be man enough to deal with the consequences. Real or immitation is not the issue its the intent and obviously he had ill intentions. If he was facing real hard time but Northward prision is a breeze off for these degenerates. And you are right the criminal element is dragging Cayman and the rest of us Caymanians down to third world status. Whats the use in fighting to work and obtain something just for the thugs to steal it or kill us all off… Hey I’m just saying that some better laws need to be implemented. 5 years for the gun 5 years for the act that’s 10 I bet if he knew that was his mandatory sentence he would have thought twice… operative word being mandatory… and that would be on the leinient end too.
I still say. Gun = 10 minimum. This is not about rehabilitation. This is about justice and protecting the innocent from people who would seek to bring violence.
Until we make things somewhat simple we open doors for these thugs to slide thru. Half of the problem with laws is they build them too complex allowing lawyers to manipulate them. We need to make them simple.
Gun = 10 years no matter if someone is shot or not. Have a gun or anyone in your group has a gun then you all get 10 years with no timeoff. 10 means 10.
Knife or other weapon = 7 years minimum. This goes for everyone in a group.
**Gun takes precidence over other weapons with judge having right to add on knife**
What this means is that if 3 people go to rob a home and 1 person has a gun then the 3 of them get’s 10 years minimum. From there you tack on other offenses such as robbery and assault. Now the judge has the ability to charge whole group with knife also should he see fit and this would increase the length or sentence and the minimum time served. Other charges can allow for good behaviour but weapon charges are minimums.
We have to get serious with criminals and make sure they understand that when they do something and we catch them they won’t be earning stripes on the outside as much as on the inside. And the next time they walk free they will be much much older and hopefully wiser about what to do with their lives.
Now as for rehab here is how I would handle it.
– Last two years of their sentence they will visit a behavioural specialist.
– Each sentence has with it a separate sentence depending on the occupation or past career history. This sentence is for the parolee to attent a tradeschool after leaving prison for 6 months to attain some sort of occupational skills.
– Local businesses such as construction, electrical or companies can sign up with a mentor program. The mentor program will be done in conjunction with the immigration department where the company get’s say either a 10% discount on the next X work permits or their business licensing fees waived for the next year to take on a parolee.
– Each month the company produces a report on the parolee to the parole officer on how the parolee is doing. This is done for the first year. In year two the report is quarterly. Year 3 semi annually and year 4 annual. Year 5 the parolee is on their own. They will be issued a liason officer to contact should they have any difficulties.
I have no issue with rehabbing those who want to be rehabbed. I do have issue with people not paying from what they do. If you don’t want to do the time don’t do the crime.
Rehabilitation is for those who WANT to be rehabilitated NOT for habitual reoffenders or wannabe badasses. 3 years is a slap on the wrist and i bet he’ll be out in half that time to pull a REAL gun on someone else. I agree that 5 years is a better scentence by that time this 19 year old will be 24 and hopefully mature enough to have learnt his lesson. I agree that we should all persevere and at least attemp to save the "children" but honestly if someone pointed a gun in your face would you care how old he was? Would i really matter his up bringing? NO I’m sure it wouldn’t. At 19 this young man is old enough to know better but obviously young enough NOT to care. Do you remember when you were 19? Were you running around pointing guns at people? Many of us had it hard as children but the majority of us didn’s use that hardship as an excuse to be gangstas, the majority of us used that hardship to know that we had to do better, most people want more than they had growing up, most people know they cant achieve this by robbing, and shooting and going to Her Majesty’s Hotel for a nice staycation. Hopefully he wont fall thru the cracks in Northward and will be a bigger, better man for it at the end of his term.
You ever notice how these guys drive around with thier seat backs reclined at a 45 degree angle? The can’t even see out of thier cars unless they lean forward. I saw two guys pull right out in front of a truck and get T boned because when the driver looked left and then right he was looking at the pillar between the front and rear doors which is normally behind the front seat head rest. So basically he could never get a clear field of vision. What in the hell is the matter with these guys? What does that mean when thier seat backs are all the way back when they are driving. Are they luxuriating? Is that what it is. It’s like we are living in the cartoons or something.
Even worse, what is wrong with the women and girls who are drawn to idiots like this.
I must say I did my share of foolish things when I was younger, but having a jerk drive a fast or pimped out car, wearing a lot of FAKE bling or having his pants hang down to show his rear was never appealing to me or any of my friends.
All of the above = LOSER!
Where do you come off calling people low life, pondlife and scum ? Regardless of what he did he is someone’s child and you would do well to remember that this is a child of Cayman. Who are you to say he cannot be rehabilitated ?
Oh well, let’s forgive the gun wielding after all this is a child of Cayman. You see, personally I think of people involved in gun crime as scum or low life regardless of where they are born.
Three years? Is that it? What a disgrace. Is it no wonder that crime is out of control?
Maybe the convict can be rehabilitated, maybe he can’t, and I expect he did have parents.
Hitler had parents too you know – are you going soft on Hitler on account of his mommy and daddy, little old Mrs and Mr Hitler?
Your "child of Cayman" made his choices and NEEDS the consequenses to have some bite so as to CHOOSE to mend his ways.
You might do well, as would the convict, to consider that the fall of Cayman into third-world status is happening in part due to criminals running wild. So go ahead, let Junior destroy the country. Maybe he’ll grow out of it.
Naaaa, he’ll just grow into a dumber and more well-armed criminal imbecile, like the other pond scum currently floating in the prison.
Did he have any consideration for someone elses "child"?
Think not – it is like the old annoying saying "What goes around comes around"!
One who can not give respect or consideration will likely not receive it either!
It was his decision, so stop babying those criminals, or do you think they would give YOU any respect?
3 years is not enough. 5 at least. And make gun wielding scum rot for their entire sentence.
Society would be better if lowlife like this were locked away forever, but alas the "do-gooders" who think pondlife can be rehabilitated, believe they just need someone to talk to about their upbringing and they will come out and behave a few years later.