Police Officer Granted Bail Pending Appeal in Gun Case
A police officer serving a one-year prison sentence for discharging a firearm in public has been granted bail by the High Court.
Justice Stanley John on Monday approved bail for 37-year-old Karim Warner, following an adjournment to allow his attorney to present the legal authorities supporting the court’s power to grant bail rather than deferring the matter to the Court of Appeal.
Warner was convicted and sentenced on 1 October by Senior Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel for unlawfully firing 12 rounds near Emerald Cove Resort, Willikies, on 3 December 2023, during a dispute over a leased vehicle.
Evidence presented in the Magistrate’s Court indicated that Warner used his Lexus to block another vehicle, ordered the occupants out, and opened fire, striking the car’s rear door, trunk, and front wheel. The female passenger testified that she was so terrified she lost control of her bladder.
Warner claimed he was defending his property, but Magistrate Emanuel ruled that firing a dozen rounds was “highly excessive.” He broke down in tears after hearing the verdict.
