Shane Wesley Dawson Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Illegal Firearm Possession and Ammunition Offences

Already serving a life sentence for murder, Shane Wesley Dawson was sentenced to six years in prison for illegal firearm and ammunition offences.

Standing in the dock of the No. 3 Supreme Court before Justice Carlisle Greaves, 23-year-old Dawson pleaded guilty to possession of a 9mm Luger semi-automatic pistol without a valid licence and 16 rounds of ammunition without a valid permit. The offences occurred on June 16, 2020.

Principal State Counsel Neville Watson accepted the pleas on behalf of the State.

Last December, Justice Greaves sentenced Dawson to life in prison with a tariff of 34 years for the December 13, 2019, shooting death of Rondell Alexander.

His new six-year sentence will run concurrently with his life sentence.

The court heard that police, acting on information, found Dawson hiding under a car at Rock Gap, New Orleans, St Michael. When officers helped him out, they discovered a firearm under his stomach. Dawson allegedly told police that a man gave him the gun and “tell me to shoot”.

In his written statement, Dawson, of 5th Avenue Peterkin, Bank Hall, St Michael, said that he had gone to the New Orleans area and was hanging out with four other men when one of them got a call after 6 p.m. and told them that masked men were walking around in the Orleans. He said one of the men left and returned with an AK-47, which was given to him.

“About 15 minutes after, he took the gun from me and tell me ‘I like I can’t handle de power’. He then gave me a black small handgun and tell me if anything, shoot,” Dawson’s statement read.

He said that he and the men headed to Chapman Lane, and when they reached Chop City Block behind the pavilion at Murphy’s Pasture, he saw the masked men walking towards them. He and two of the men he had been walking with shot at the men and then ran to Rock Gap, where he heard gunshots.

“I see a fella get shoot at and I hid under a car. In bout 10 to 15 minutes, a police spot a light at me. I put the gun by the car wheel and the police tek me out and then tek out the gun,” his statement continued.

Dawson apologised to the court and Barbados for his actions and asked the court for leniency.

Giving a starting point of nine years, Justice Greaves sentenced Dawson to serve six years minus the time he spent on remand awaiting trial.