Man escapes Prison time; Attorney argues his Red Dot Scope was not a Firearm Accessory

By Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Reporter

#TurksandCaicos, June 12, 2023 – Two months ago, in the beginning of April 2023, police conducting an early morning search at a Grand Turk home found what they called ” A Red Dot Scope” and labelled same as an accessory to a firearm. The accused was then arrested, charged and remanded to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and later applied in the Supreme Court for bail.

The Turks and Caicos Islands Firearms Ordinance does make provision for an offence if a person is found with an accessory to a firearm. However, in this case, what the Police found, confiscated and charged JERREAL JOEL MISSICK a young Grand Turk male with, was not an accessory to a firearm, this was argued and raised by Sheena Mair, attorney for the accused at his bail application.

The bail application was later heard and was opposed by the Deputy DPP, Angela Brooks but Justice Baptiste hearing the strong and solid submissions of Ms. Mair regarding the firearm, granted the accused bail pending his sufficiency hearing.

At the sufficiency hearing on Friday June 2, 2023 and the DPP’s office, having previously received Ms. Sheena Mair’s written and oral submission outlining the insufficiency of evidence through a bail application, in the interest of justice entered a “nolle prosequi”  or a “discontinuance” of the firearm charge against Missick.

Chief Justice Ms. Mabel Agyemang then called on the accused to stand via video link from the court house in Grand Turk and so ordered the discontinuance of the charge against the defendant.

If the matter had continued and been successfully argued by the Director of Public Prosecution’s Office, Jerreal Joel Missick would have faced 12 years imprisonment.