Old Harbour gangster pleads guilty under anti-gang legislation

Twenty-four year-old Lesbert Smith of Panton Lane, Old Harbour now await the judge’s decision on his length of imprisonment when he returns to court on January 11, 2023 for his sentencing hearing.

Smith, otherwise called ‘Grazmite’, pleaded guilty on December 13 in the St Catherine Circuit Court before judge Bertram Morrison.

His sentencing brings to an end five years of meticulous work by investigators assigned to the St Catherine South Police Division. It also represents a major victory for the division as well, as it is the first conviction achieved under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) (Amendment) Act 2021, better known as the Anti-Gang legislation.

In court on Tuesday, Smith also pleaded guilty to obtaining a benefit from a criminal organisation as well as accessory before the fact to murder.

According to details made public in court a gang feud erupted after Smith was linked to the August 9, 2017 homicide of Kemar Fogah who was shot dead in a gun attack by three armed thugs in the community of Panton Lane.

In a bid to exact revenge for the killing of Fogah, men aligned to the deceased, murdered Paul ‘Pablo’ Wallis in Marlie Acres, Old Harbour on August 20, 2017. Wallis is the brother of Smith.

Smith, the court was told, is a member of the Sparta Gang based in Smith Avenue that operated a syndicated criminal enterprise involving robberies, extortion and killings.

Then only 19 years old at the time, Smith was taken by his cronies to a hideout in Harmons district in Porus, Manchester. However, on August 27, 2017, Smith was shot and injured in a gun attack. He was taken to the Mandeville Hospital where he was treated and released into police custody.

It was further revealed in the court that Smith gave a caution statement to the police on August 28, 2017, the day after he was shot in Harmons, admitting to being a member of the Sparta Gang headquartered in Smith Avenue and that he had knowledge of the gang committing murders and robberies within the Old Harbour area.

The fact that Smith failed to report any of these crimes committed makes him complicit or is deemed a facilitator under the new Anti-Gang legislation enacted into law in 2021.

At this point, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) advised the police to charge Smith with misprison of a felony, three counts of aiding and abetting murder and accessory before the fact to murder.

Smith was represented by Kings Council Peter Champagnie.

After this landmark conviction, the police informed Old Harbour News that the Sparta Gang has severely disintegrated after several members were killed in gang-related activities or have fled the community as investigators zoomed in on them.