Last Updated on July 25, 2025, 8:39 AM AST by Anthony Morris
St Kitts and Nevis has debated and passed the Larceny (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the National Assembly. The motion was led by the Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr Terrance Drew.
The amendment bill is being considered a massive step in removing inconsistencies of delivering sentences. The government has noticed that the sentencing for possession of unlicensed firearms and robbery with said firearms are different and can be unfair upon close inspections.
Before the passing of this amendment, the sentence for possessing an unlicensed firearm went up to 40 years. Meanwhile, using the same weapon in a violent robbery was punishable by a sentence up to 20 years.
This, according to the Prime Minister of St Kits and Nevis is a contradiction which the government needs to solve. The Prime Minister said that the new amendment will resolve the contradiction.
In the national assembly siting, where the amendment was debated, PM Terrance Drew called this contradiction illogical. Under the new amendment, the government wats to make sure that armed robbery gets dealt with the severity that it needs.
The amendment will also make sure that the sentencing will be consistent with the changes and reforms that the government has introduced in the “Firearms act”
The new sentencing for robbery offences is tiered based on the level of threat, violence, and weapon used. The more severe the offense, the greater the sentence for it.
- For Robbery with a firearm, the prescribed sentence under the new amendment is: A maximum penalty of life imprisonment with hard labour.
- For Robbery with another offensive weapon will be punishable by a sentence up to 40 years in prison
- For Robbery committed with accomplices, the sentence will be up to 35 years in Prison.
- For robbery involving personal violence the amendment prescribes 30 years in prison.
- Robbery without aggravating factors involved will be punishable by a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
- For Assault with intent to rob, the culprit will be faced with a maximum sentence of 15 years.
The officials have shared that the amendment will align the sentencing norms in St Kitts and Nevis with the rest of the world. The officials have shared that this is a measure to ensure that the justice aligns with the severity of the crime.
The government has shared that they have passed this Larceny (Amendment) Bill, 2025, respecting the directives of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
