Flare gun earns man more than 3 years in jail
Taser incident in Mary Sreet, Grand Cayman, 4 June 2016
(CNS): Antascio Terrell Rankine (23) has been handed a prison sentence of three years and five months in connection with a firearm incident in June 2016. Rankine, who is from East End, was arrested following an incident in Mary Street when he was found to be in possession of a modified flare gun. Although the adapted flare was loaded with a shotgun cartridge, the weapon was not functioning and as a result he was charged with possession of an imitation gun with intent, based on his resisting arrest.
The court heard that on the night in question police responded to a report of a man with a gun in downtown George Town. When the police arrived in Mary Street, they spotted a man fitting the description by DHL. He was stopped by the officers but Rankine resisted arrest and fled; as he did so the adapted flare gun fell from his pants. When police caught up with him, he continued to resist and behave aggressively towards police, who then fired at Rankine with a Taser at least twice.
Footage of the incident was taken at the time by onlookers and posted to social media, where it caused considerable controversy and concern. Police also said at the time they were struggling to subdue and arrest Rankine. A hostile crowd gathered, some of whom were said to be obstructive and threatening towards police.
Rankine was charged with possessing an unlicensed firearm in the first instance, but when the state of the weapon was reviewed, the charges were reduced to possession of an imitation firearm and Rankine came clean. He served some 14 months on bail, awaiting the legal process, wearing an electronic tag and on an evening curfew. But he was remanded in custody in November after he forcibly removed the ankle monitor.
The judge noted both the aggravating and mitigating factors of the case before arriving at her sentence of three years and five months, which included a discount of one-third for his guilty plea and 100 days credit for the time he served on a monitor.
Deportation order?
People like him needs to be taken away from Society Forever.
He’s a Public Nuisances and has no respect for Nobody.
He’s just human and in primary school was a nice young man. Give him a second chance.
What mitigating factors? How come there is no resisting arrest or assaulting police charges. This case was a slam dunk on all charges yet ends up with only three years. Too many people attacking police because of lax sentences like this.
I don’t understand why just because a firearm isn’t working means you get a lesser charge of an imitation firearm. Did he know it wasn’t working? I’m assuming that he loaded a shotgun cartridge in it thinking it was working otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered.
While agreeing with your sentiment, its just a ‘simple’ demarcation for the courts. If it works its a gun. if it looks like it will work, but doesn’t, its an imitation. Saves them arguing over the definition of a gun. (‘Lethal barreled weapon’; can’t be lethal if it can’t discharge the shot.)
Its not a very good use of the word imitation for starters. What is the downside to treating anything manufactired as a gun as what it is, a real gun, unless it has been decommisioned by permanently plugging the barrel? I dont really care if the firing pin is broken or suchlike, its still a real gun.
Another scumbag locked down, only a few hundred more to go.
7 years too short.
these people never learn!!
Hope it was worth it, enjoy your cell
Free room and board! Sign me up!