A recent ruling from Barbados’ High Court has ordered D’Nairo Shaquille Greaves to serve nearly seven more years at Dodds Prison, after the presiding judge determined that a monetary fine would fail to match the severity of his unlicensed firearms offence. Earlier in 2024, Greaves, a resident of Third Avenue, New Orleans, was found guilty by an 8-1 jury majority of unlawful possession of a Glock 19 Gen 4 9mm Luger pistol alongside 14 matching rounds of ammunition, a charge stemming from an incident on July 20, 2022. Handing down the formal sentence in Court No. 4 of the Supreme Court, Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell emphasized that non-custodial penalties were entirely unsuitable for this case. “A custodial sentence is clearly warranted to drive home the seriousness of the offence, deter other members of the public from committing similar violations, shield local communities from preventable gun-related harm, and preserve widespread public trust in the fairness and rigor of the island’s justice system,” the judge stated. In her sentencing framework, Justice Smith-Bovell set a baseline custodial term of eight years for the unlicensed firearm offence, and a separate six-year baseline for unlawful possession of the linked ammunition. Multiple aggravating factors justified these elevated starting points: Greaves’ deliberate, premeditated choice to have the firearm in his custody, the fact that the weapon was loaded and ready for use, his presence alongside an individual who was actively wanted for a capital offence at the time of the incident, and his documented attempts to evade arresting officers. The court acknowledged that Greaves has consistently maintained his full innocence regarding the offences, claiming his decision to assist a friend led to his current legal circumstances. During proceedings, Greaves confirmed he was present at the scene of the 2022 incident but denied ever touching or having knowledge of the firearm and ammunition, and also expressed explicit distrust of his interactions with the criminal justice system. A formal pre-sentencing risk assessment classified him as having a moderate likelihood of reoffending. After applying standard statutory deductions for pre-trial time served and good conduct credits, Greaves’ adjusted sentence totals six years and 248 days for the firearms offence, plus four years and 248 days for the ammunition possession charge, to be served concurrently, resulting in a combined remaining custodial term of just under seven years. The court heard full details of the 2022 arrest operation: when law enforcement officers arrived at a residential property in Bush Hall to execute a warrant, they spotted Greaves at an upstairs window holding a firearm. He immediately fled from the window, and officers reported hearing a loud explosion shortly after, before apprehending him in the property’s yard. The loaded 9mm pistol was later recovered on the living room floor of the residence. In his unsworn personal statement to the court, Greaves explained he had traveled to the Bush Hall home that day to pick up his friend – the individual wanted on a capital charge – with the intention of driving him directly to a legal representative’s office to surrender to authorities. He claimed he arrived too late in the day to make it to the attorney’s scheduled office hours, and was waiting for his friend in the property’s separate workshop space when he heard the loud explosion and saw two masked armed men identifying themselves as police officers. Under oath, Greaves told the court, “I honestly have no idea, knowledge or anything about that gun. I was never by no window with no gun, and I could swear to God and in front of all these people here that I am innocent and had nothing to do with that gun.” Greaves was represented in the proceedings by defence attorney Shadia Simpson, while the prosecution was led by acting Senior State Counsel Paul Prescod.