Dwight Liburd of Rey Hill, Anguilla, is serving a total of twelve years imprisonment after he was found guilty in the High Court of a shooting incident on March 19, 2004, at the Coronation Ball Park in The Valley.

A release from the Attorney General’s Chambers states that Liburd was found guilty of the following offences: causing grievous bodily harm to Vaun Brodie with intent to do him grievous harm; causing grievous bodily harm to Reesa Gumbs with intent to do Vaun Brodie grievous bodily harm; possessing a firearm without a Firearm Users’s Licence; and possessing ammunition for a firearm without a Firearm User’s Licence.

The release continues as follows:
On 11th November 2005 Her Ladyship, Madame Justice Janice George-Creque, sentenced Liburd to a term of nine years imprisonment for causing grievous bodily harm to Vaun Brodie and seven years imprisonment for causing grievous bodily harm to Reesa Gumbs. Both sentences are to run concurrently.

Liburd was further sentenced to a term of three years imprisonment for possessing a firearm without a firearm user’s licence and another term of three years imprisonment for possessing ammunition for a firearm without a firearm user’s licence. Both sentences are to run concurrently but consecutive to the previous sentences for causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Before sentencing Liburd, Judge George-Creque made the following observation on the firearms situation in Anguilla:

Guns appear to be prevalent in this society and it seems that persons are thinking that…it makes them great. It does nothing of the sort because, when these crimes are committed, the penalties are not paid by the person who has committed the crime. If you care about your family they pay for the crime as well; they are punished along with you.

Crime does not pay, and this Court has to mark its disapproval for this kind of conduct, because the only way that society can show its disapproval for this kind of behaviour is by the sentence which this Court will impose on you.

You don’t go out to functions anywhere in the community with loaded firearms because very serious consequences can occur and in this case they are serious, very serious…

Society must be able to be as free as possible of those elements of anti-social behaviour which seek to take root and spread like a cancer because it does a society, a community no good.

Liburd will be incarcerated for 12 years, subject to any remission for good behaviour.

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