Samuels urges state relief for Pryce after imitation-gun conviction draws 15-year term

Veteran lawyer Bert Samuels is pressing the Government to act after music producer Ewan Pryce received heavy prison terms in a case built on imitation firearms, saying the outcome exposes serious flaws in how Jamaica treats replica weapons under the law.

Samuels contends the country's firearms regime has produced what he calls a "travesty of justice." Pryce, 47, was handed 15 years behind bars for possessing prohibited weapons and life imprisonment for amassing firearms, according to reporting in today's Sunday Gleaner.

The prosecution arose after authorities found eight imitation guns said to be connected to Pryce, who works in music production. The ruling reignited public argument over the Firearms Act, which classifies imitation firearms like real illegal guns and triggers mandatory minimum sentences of 15 years.

Entertainment figures have also weighed in, with producers and directors cautioning that replicas routinely used in music videos and films could land creatives in court facing the same harsh penalties.

Responding to the Sunday Gleaner piece titled "Fake guns, real time," Samuels faulted legislators for enacting mandatory minimums for imitation weapons.

"I'm deeply troubled by the fact that Parliament could have ever imagined passing a law where an imitation firearm carries a minimum sentence of 15 years," Samuels said.

He said lawmakers went too far by fixing rigid mandatory terms that strip judges of discretion in sentencing.

"What has happened is that this man has been sentenced by Parliament, not by a judge," Samuels said. "Parliament has tied the hands of justice."

Samuels noted National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang has signalled that changes to the Firearms Act are under review, but maintained harm has already been done in Pryce's case.

He portrayed Pryce as an entertainment producer who relied on imitation guns as props for music videos and argued the State should step in.

"We ask the minister to intervene. We also ask the Governor-General (GG) to pardon this man," Samuels said.

The attorney added that locking up young men for long stretches over toy-like weapons risks turning them into hardened offenders rather than steering them away from crime.

"To put away a young man for a toy gun for 15 years to go into the prison system and become a graduate of crime, this is awful," he said.