Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) former Chairman and attorney at Law, Dr. Linton Lewis has recommended serious counselling for young persons who had no parental guidance, and find themselves involved in criminal activity, or have that inclination.
Lewis made the recommendation during a sitting of the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
He was one of two defence lawyers, sitting at the Bar Table who Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett asked to make submissions, as friends of the Court, in the case of 20-year-old Zian Ashton who pleaded guilty to possession of a .22 revolver, three rounds of .22 ammunition and going equipped to steal.
The South Rivers man, residing at Arnos Vale, whom the police caught in possession of the loaded, gun, along with a bag containing a clown mask, black long sleeve t-shirt and screw driver around 1:45am.
Last Friday, at Arnos Vale, told the Court he was at the time going to celebrate his birthday and he was feeling “trigger happy”. He said he had a hard upbringing, and dropped out of secondary school at age 14.
He was at the time a third former, and had to work on weekends.
Lewis said he found it difficult to understand why someone, at 1:45am would be going to celebrate his birthday with those items. He made reference to Ashton’s remark that he was feeling “trigger happy”, and expressed the views that anything could have happened that morning.
“Too many young people here are involved in crime,” Lewis said.
Michael Wylllie, the other lawyer who was asked to make submissions, expressed similar sentiments, but questioned whether an investigation was carried out to determine whether any gun-related crime was committed in the area around the time Ashton was found with the loaded gun and other items.
Wyllie noted that Ashton had told the Court that he found the firearm under a mango tree at Arnos Vale.