St James businessman’s challenge to 15-year firearms sentence postponed until next year
The appeal for Jason Barrett, a businessman from St James, has been postponed until February 1 of next year. Barrett received a 15-year prison sentence in 2024 after being found with a licensed firearm belonging to his wife. This case is the first to challenge the mandatory minimum 15-year sentence under the 2022 Firearms Act. The Crown requested the adjournment to get help from the Attorney General. This is due to the potential wide-reaching effects of the case.
The appeal of St James businessman Jason Barrett, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2024 after being caught with his wife’s licensed firearm, was postponed on Monday until February 1 next year. The case is the first to challenge the 15-year mandatory minimum sentence under the controversial Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022. The adjournment followed a request by the Crown for time to seek assistance from the Attorney General in responding to the defence’s submissions, given the potential far-reaching implications of the case.