RESIDENTS of Gregory Park, St Catherine, where two women were shot during the 'Gulf' gang's reign of terror last year, breathed a general sigh of relief last Thursday after the sentencing of Joseph 'Jockey' Brown and Garfield 'Laws' Murray.

Both men, who appeared on Jamaica's Most Wanted list in December 2007, were convicted in the Gun Court on Thursday and each sentenced to four years hard labour by acting high court judge, Leighton Pusey.

A pre-dawn rain

Brown and Murray were members of the 'Gulf' gang and were wanted for questioning in a number of crimes committed in Gregory Park last year, including murder and police shootings. They were held by the Portmore police in a pre-dawn raid in Johnson's Pen, Spanish Town, on January 23 this year.

The evidence, as given by arresting officers Jason McKay and Lloyd knight, was that both men fled from a premises during the raid and ran into a police cordon. When searched by McKay and Knight, both men were found to be carrying firearms and ammunition.

The trial, which ran over a six-day period, saw the accused men being represented by attorney-at-law Jacqueline Cummings and Ronald Koathes.

In sentencing the men, Justice Pusey said he had a responsibility to society to ensure the safety of the public and had to send a strong message that illegal firearm and ammunition would not be tolerated by the courts.

It was also brought out in sentencing that Brown was training to be a racehorse jockey and Murray, at age 34, did not have a single conviction to his name, despite his infamy.