CHARLES Braithwaite, 42, of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara, who pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition without license, will have to spend the next two years incarcerated.
Magistrate Leslie Sobers, before whom he appeared on Friday last, at the Providence Magistrate’s Court, sentenced him to two years imprisonment on each charge, but also ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
Prosecutor Shellon Daniels, in outlying the particulars of the offence, said Braithwaite was arrested at his residence on June 19.
Ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), acting on a tip-off, had gone to the house to conduct a search for arms and ammunition, found a .38 revolver with five .32 rounds of ammunition wrapped in a tyre tube and concealed in a dug-out portion of a GT&T directory that was lying on a table in the house.
Braithwaite was told of the offence, arrested and charged.
The man, in responding to the Magistrate who asked whether he had anything to say before sentence was passed, said the gun and ammo were not meant to harm anyone, but because he operates a small business and was beaten and robbed on several occasions, he kept them for his own protection.