Dancehall artiste Laden, whose real name is Okeefe Aarons, was on Wednesday sentenced to four years imprisonment for Illegal possession of firearm and 18 months for illegal possession of ammunition. Both sentences will run concurrently so he will serve a maximum of four years.
Laden will be eligible to apply for parole after one year.
"The sentencing process was lengthy and arduous, over two days, and it culminated in final submissions by Ms Jodi Taylor, one of his attorneys. Then the court broke for some time for the judge to deliberate. When the judge returned, he went through great lengths to explain how he arrived at the sentences, the aggravating circumstances and the mitigating circumstances. The police chase, the throwing away of the firearm were among several things deemed to be aggravating. His clean record, his contribution to his community as well as the character evidence by Christopher Martin and Cetany Holness were given great weight," attorney-at-law Thomas Levene communicated to Loop News via text-message.
Aarons appeared more settled after the verdict and remained respectful to the Court and dignified in his conduct, Levene added.
Last week, the entertainer was fined $2,000 for disobeying a cop’s instructions when his attorney-at-law appeared in court. The deejay, who has been in police lock-up since his arrest in October, had previously pleaded guilty to charges of illegal possession of firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, and failing to stop on the request of the police in relation to an incident in October where he was spotted breaching the national curfew set to limit the spread of COVID-19.
He is known for songs such as Time to Shine, Never Lonely and Feelings Too Heavy.
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