Teenager who allegedly took gun to school to be transferred from prison

A teenage boy who brought a gun to his school in Antigua and Barbuda is expected to be moved from His Majesty’s Prison to a private residence after a ruling by the magistrate’s court in favor of his release.

The 16-year-old was remanded to prison on October 1st

The boy, a student at Clare Hall Secondary School, was arrested and charged after he brought a firearm to school, causing a lockdown at the learning facility.

Initially denied bail in the High Court, attorney Wayne Benjamin Marsh, who appeared in court on his behalf, argued that he should be provided with a Secure Residential Facility as a juvenile under the Child Justice Act of 2015.

Marsh said his client is improperly been housed at the prison since he was a juvenile.

The attorney also highlighted the lack of a secure juvenile facility in Antigua and Barbuda.

Justice Tunde Bakre agreed and ordered that he be placed in a secure facility. The judge also ruled that the order should be served to the relevant authorities, including the minister of social services and the police commissioner.

It is unclear when he will be transferred, which lies in the minister’s lap.

Attorney Marsh also believes that all other juveniles in the prison should be held at such a secure residential facility.

Furthermore, he said this new turn of events is likely to bring some resolution to the long-standing issue of juveniles being held at His Majesty’s Prison among hardened criminals.