"Here you can be killed for no reason, you have to be careful." These are the words with which JC, 34, who appeared last Wednesday in court in Saint-Martin, justified his possession of a category B weapon while traveling on a scooter.
It was during a roadside check on August 31, 2023, on the RN7 that JC was stopped, riding a two-wheeler without a helmet. In the trunk of the scooter, the police discovered a plastic tray containing narcotics, a semi-automatic pistol with its magazine, and another handgun hidden in his fanny pack. He tested positive for narcotics and was also driving without a license in an uninsured vehicle.
Overwhelmed by the charges against him, the defendant tries to defend himself by all means: "I am raising my 8-year-old daughter alone. At that time, her mother had just died of cancer. I became aware of my actions and today I found a job. As for the weapon, I had no intention of killing. As a single father, I simply carried it to defend myself in case of an attack."
The provenance of this weapon seems unlikely to say the least: "I found it in Friar's Bay on the road behind a beach bar, loaded with four rounds of ammunition."
Given his already extensive criminal record, the court ruled without appeal and found him guilty of all the offenses mentioned. The defendant was sentenced to two years in prison, one of which was firm, with a sentence that could be adjusted to accommodate his daughter's needs.
No comments