Magistrate Ibrahim Kijera of the Bundung Magistrates’ Court recently convicted and sentenced one Ryan Tarbener, a British national, to a fine of D25,000, in default to serve 1 year in prison.
Ryan Tarbener was convicted upon his own admission to a charge of being in possession of firearm without a licence.
When the particulars of the offence were read to the convict, he pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him.
The trial magistrate then asked the prosecuting officer, 1883 Bojang, to narrate the facts of the matter.
Narrating the facts, officer Bojang stated that it happened on 10 October 2013, at Brufut, when the convict went to the seaside to hunt birds.
Upon his return from the beach, the convict met with a police officer, who approached him and asked him to produce the licence of the double barrel telescope rifle but the convict could not produce the said licence.
He further adduced that the convict was arrested and taken to the Brufut PIU unit, and later to the Kanifing PIU unit and then to the police headquarters in Banjul.
A search was later conducted in the house of the convict where 590 pellets were found in his possession, he narrated.
The office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) sent a report to the office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to conduct examination on the said pellets to test whether it was harmful or not, and also to conduct a test on the said rifle whether it was serviceable or not.
A ballistic report was issued from the office of the CDS, and the convict was later charged with the said offence.
He was represented by Edward Anthony Gomez, who made a brief convincing mitigation on his behalf.
