Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

New court guidelines: Tougher penalties guaranteed for carrying gun near churches, schools

New court guidelines: Tougher penalties guaranteed for carrying gun near churches, schools

Persons found in possession of an illegal firearm near churches, schools or “a substantial public gathering” will be classified as high-level offenders who are now almost guaranteed tougher penalties than other gun offenders.

This was made clear in the second batch of standardised sentencing guidelines that will be used to determine the punishment of these felons, once convicted.

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) released the guidelines on July 30 with an order for them to officially take effect in all its nine member-jurisdictions — to include the BVI — on September 1.

Gang membership


Meanwhile, other factors that judges must now use to determine higher-level offenders include whether the individual found with the weapon has ‘gang membership’ or an affiliation and whether there was injury or an intention to cause injury, among other things.

Penalties will also be higher if there is evidence that a person was in possession of a gun because he/she is “motivated by revenge”.

Besides firearm-related offences, second set of sentencing guidelines were re-issued for drug and sex crimes, as well as theft, burglary and robbery offenders.

“Since the launch of the first set of guidelines [last year], the [Sentencing Advisory] Committee has not only monitored the existing guidelines for fairness and effectiveness but has also worked on developing new guidelines,” the ECSC said on its official website.

Not meant to restrict judicial discretion


The regional court further made it clear that the standard guidelines does not intend to achieve uniformity in sentences, nor does it intend to restrict judicial discretion.

“By employing measures which demonstrate the consistency of approach and by mandating that clear reasons are provided for sentences passed, these guidelines will assist immensely in maintaining and promoting public confidence and transparency in the criminal justice system,” it stated.

First batch of guidelines


Notably, the first set of guidelines were launched on September 17, last year and came into effect roughly two weeks later on October 1, 2019.

The guidelines were for theft, unlawful and aggravated sexual intercourse, drug-related crime, robbery and rape.

The undertakings are supported by the British High Commission and the US Embassy for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
×