In a landmark ruling that underscores Barbados’ intensified crackdown on illegal gun violence, a first-time offender has received a $23,000 total fine, with a senior judge stressing that new harsher sentencing laws are designed to stem the rising tide of preventable deaths among young men in the country.
Keshawn Kadarah Callender was handed down the penalty this week in connection with weapons offences dating back to November 26, 2024. He was ordered to pay an immediate $20,000 fine for unlawful possession of a loaded .380-calibre Kel Tec automatic pistol, with an additional $3,000 fine for possession of three rounds of ammunition. If Callender fails to pay the immediate firearm fine, he will face four years and 46 days of prison time. For the ammunition fine, he has until January 29, 2027 to satisfy the penalty, after which he will serve 289 days at Dodds Prison, with all custodial sentences running concurrently if they come into effect.
Presiding Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell centered her ruling around recently passed amendments to Barbados’ Firearms Act, which now mandate a minimum 10-year prison sentence and maximum 20-year prison term for a first illegal firearms possession conviction. The justice explained that the parliamentary amendment, which raises baseline penalties for gun offences, directly responds to a persistent public safety crisis that has disproportionately claimed the lives of young men across local communities.
“This recent amendment by Parliament, which increases the penalty for firearm possession, reflects the fact that the illegal possession and use of firearms, resulting in the loss of life, primarily of young males in our communities, continue to plague society and it is the State’s intention to arrest this behaviour,” Justice Smith-Bovell said in court.
The judge noted several aggravating factors in Callender’s case: the weapon was loaded, fully functional, and Callender made a conscious choice to obtain and hold the illegal firearm at a time when such offences are endemic across the island. She also reaffirmed a core principle of Barbadian law: there is no constitutional or legal right for private citizens to bear arms.
“The indiscriminate possession and use of firearms are wreaking havoc in our society. This behaviour of illegally acquiring firearms for whatever reason must be stamped out,” she added.
While starting the sentencing calculation with a 10-year custodial term for the firearms offence and a five-year term for the ammunition possession charge, Justice Smith-Bovell applied significant reductions to account for multiple mitigating circumstances. These included Callender’s clean prior criminal record, expressions of remorse for his actions, and the absence of any evidence linking the seized firearm to other criminal activities. Additional deductions were made for Callender’s early guilty plea and the 684 days he has already spent in pre-trial detention.
After accounting for these factors, Justice Smith-Bovell concluded that a custodial sentence was not the only outcome that could deliver fair justice in this case, ultimately opting for the substantial fines instead.
The case was prosecuted by Acting Senior State Counsel Paul Prescod in the No. 4 Supreme Court, with defence counsel Shadia Simpson representing Callender during proceedings.
Court proceedings detailed how the weapons were discovered: law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Callender’s residence on Rogers Road, Ivy, St Michael. When officers arrived, a female relative told them Callender was not present at the home. In the presence of that relative and a second family member, police conducted a search of the property and located a red haversack hidden in the home’s ceiling. As officers pulled the bag down, a silver and black pistol fitted with an extended magazine fell to the floor.
After Callender was detained and brought back to the residence to view the recovered weapon, he immediately admitted ownership, court records show. Officers also found a national identification card and driver’s license, both issued in Callender’s name, inside the haversack alongside the weapon.