Frenchman sentenced for possession of arms

August 17, 2012 7:04 AM

PHILIPSBURG - A French national was sentenced to 12 months for arms possession during Wednesday's sitting of the Court of First Instance.

Michael Drahy (38) was sentenced in absentia, as he is currently residing in France, and did not travel to St. Maarten to plead his case.
 
He was also not represented by a lawyer, as attorney at law Remco Stomp had withdrawn himself from the case.
 
Drahy was involved in a traffic accident on November 10, 2010. When the police searched his car they found a revolver, a machete and a baseball bat in his vehicle.
 
A witness of the accident had stated Drahy had stepped out of the car with a firearm in his hand, but Drahy denied this.
 
He did not deny he had the arms in his car, saying he had them for his own protection after he had been robbed. He did not have a licence.
 
Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp said the revolver had been loaded with six .38 cartridges, and was ready to be used, even though she could not consider it proven that the revolver had indeed been in the defendant's hands.
 
"The unbridled possession of firearms needs to come to an end," the Prosecutor said, in demanding the maximum, one-year prison sentence.
 
Judge Tamara Tijhuis found the defendant guilty as charged, and sentenced him according to the Prosecutor's demand.