Life sentence for gun find
Conviction of alleged Rat Bat Gang member hailed for ratcheting down gunrunning in St Catherine
Published:Saturday | August 9, 2025 | 12:09 AM
The St Catherine South police on July 29 marked the conviction of Derron Simms, an alleged member of the Rat Bat Gang, as a major success in the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) sustained bid to deter the deadly trade in guns and ammunition.
Simms was sentenced to life imprisonment for stockpiling ammunition by High Court Judge Lorna Shelly-Williams at the Gun Court in Kingston. He is to serve 22 years before the possibility of parole.
Simms was arrested by the St Catherine South police’s Special Operations Unit on April 25 in the parking lot of a popular fast-food restaurant, sitting in a car which was searched, yielding a firearm and 56 rounds of ammunition.
He was sentenced under the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act 2022, which came into effect November 1, 2022, introducing harsher penalties for offences connected to the illicit trade, manufacture, stockpiling, possession and use of illegal guns.
For illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, conviction can result in life imprisonment with a minimum of 15 years before parole is considered.
According to police sources, the Rat Bat Gang and Simms were under investigation for dealing and distributing firearms and ammunition to gangs islandwide for years.
Simms’ arrest resulted in a viral video of him lying on the ground, screaming, while the lawmen tried to restrain him.
In his defence, Simms claimed the video of him screaming was not an indication of guilt but instead fear of the police squad that arrested him. A taxi operator, who was driving the vehicle, was acquitted.
At the lengthy trial, evidence was heard from members of the St Catherine South police’s Special Operations Unit. The investigating officer in the matter was District Constable Jason McKay of the St Catherine South Special Operations Unit.
Evidence was also given by Constable Rushane Tyrell, St Catherine South Special Operations Unit; Detective Corporal Georgio Richards, St Catherine South CIB, and Detective Constable Shemar Johnson of the Firearms and Narcotics Division.
National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang has credited the JCF’s relentless work for this year’s record seizure of illegal firearms and ammunition. Chang also pointed to collaboration with international partners, which contributed to a historic gun seizure at the port of Kingston on May 28.
A shipment of at least 233 illegal guns, along with approximately 50,000 rounds of ammunition, were intercepted by law enforcement personnel with the help of the Jamaica Customs Agency.
Chang, addressing the House of Representatives in June, said there has been an increase of more than 80 per cent in the number of illegal guns seized this year over last year.
Up to June 21, the authorities had seized 738 firearms, “marking an 81 per cent increase over the corresponding period in 2024”, Chang told Parliament.
He also disclosed that 39,776 rounds of ammunition were recovered, “which is about seven times the number recovered for 2024”.