Antigua PM maintains criticism of lenient court sentencing for gun-related crimes
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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne is maintaining his criticism of what he has described as the emerging lenient sentencing orthodoxy of the Caribbean judiciary.
“We respect the human and constitutional rights of all and the independence of the judiciary. However, the constitutional rights of criminals cannot take precedence over the safety of the citizenry,” Browne said, warning that the “emerging lenient sentencing orthodoxy of the Caribbean Judiciary is undermining public safety.
“This abuse of sentencing discretion characterised by pervasive lenient sentencing has resulted in an explosion of repeat offenders, who are enabled with short sentences to continue their criminality,” Browne said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
“The prevalence of these repeat offenders is overwhelming law enforcement and making the region unsafe,” Browne said.
In his Facebook post, Browne said that in a number of instances, criminals who are found with illegal firearms and ammunition are given one or two years in prison, only to be released to commit other heinous crimes.
“Our children as young as two years old are being sexually violated by pedophiles who have been given two to three years in prison,” he said, adding that “Parliaments are now forced to curb this lenient sentencing orthodoxy that some are seeking to institutionalise, by legislating minimum sentencing.
“The prevalence of crime and violence in the region makes the Caribbean increasingly one of the most violent regions in the world. We are living in a drastic period, requiring drastic measures.
“Lawyers and judges, though important to governance, do not have the ultimate responsibility for public safety. The parliament and the executive are ultimately responsible. The means justify the end,” Browne added.
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