Antigua PM maintains criticism of lenient court sentencing for gun-related crimes

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne is maintaining his criticism of what he has described as the emerging lenient sentencing orthodoxy of the Caribbean judiciary.

“We respect the human and constitutional rights of all and the independence of the judiciary. However, the constitutional rights of criminals cannot take precedence over the safety of the citizenry,” Browne said, warning that the “emerging lenient sentencing orthodoxy of the Caribbean Judiciary is undermining public safety.

“This abuse of sentencing discretion characterised by pervasive lenient sentencing has resulted in an explosion of repeat offenders, who are enabled with short sentences to continue their criminality,” Browne said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.