MPs Standoff: Harris Opposes Tougher Robbery Sentences as Maynard Defends Bill’s Focus on Justice and Victim Protection

During the 24th July, 2025 sitting of the National Assembly, the Member for Number 7, Dr. Timothy Harris, stood alone in opposing the Larceny (Amendment) Bill, 2025 — landmark legislation that strengthens penalties for robbery-related offences in St. Kitts and Nevis, including a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for armed robbery.

Dr. Harris, a former prime minister and current opposition MP, criticised the bill as “punitive” and questioned its timing, necessity, and effectiveness. He argued that increasing penalties, including life sentences with hard labour, lacked a sound empirical basis and risked disproportionately affecting marginalised communities. “Where is the science that indicates these harsh penalties bring significant reduction to crime?” he asked, suggesting that the bill could amount to legislative overreach that fails to address the roots of criminal behaviour.

However, government members and legal experts have pointed out that the bill does not impose mandatory life sentences but instead gives judges the discretion to impose penalties proportionate to the crime. It introduces a structured, tiered framework: up to life imprisonment for armed robbery, 40 years for robbery with other offensive weapons, and descending scales based on levels of violence, planning, and threat.

Responding to Harris, Konris Maynard, Member for Number 3 and Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities, described the amendment as necessary and measured. “No society should ever come to accept robbery — and especially armed robbery — as part of the norm,” Maynard stated. “The trauma inflicted upon victims lasts far beyond the incident itself… PTSD, anxiety, fear — these are not hypothetical outcomes; they are everyday realities.”

Maynard defended the law as part of the government’s broader crime prevention strategy, which includes social investment, youth intervention programmes, and public health-based violence prevention. “This legislation gives the court flexibility,” he added. “A first-time offender or misguided youth will not automatically receive a life sentence — but for repeat, violent criminals who show no remorse, the justice system will now have the appropriate tools to respond.”

Dr. Harris also raised concerns about proportionality, claiming that equating the punishment for armed robbery with that for murder was unjust. “We cannot basically commit the young person to life imprisonment,” he said. Yet critics of Harris’ remarks argue that such reasoning downplays the grave psychological and economic damage caused by violent robberies.

Legal analysts have pointed out that St. Kitts and Nevis is not acting in isolation. Several Caribbean jurisdictions have moved decisively to increase penalties for armed robbery in recent years. In Jamaica, armed robbery is punishable by up to life imprisonment under Section 42 of the Offences Against the Person Act. In Antigua and Barbuda, amendments to the Crimes (Amendment) Act in 2018 introduced similar maximum sentences for armed robbery, consistent with international sentencing norms for violent offences involving firearms.

The Larceny (Amendment) Bill, 2025, also updates the definition of firearms to include imitation and restricted weapons, harmonising the legislation with the Firearms Act and enhancing judicial clarity. It is widely regarded as a critical element of the Drew administration’s national security policy.

While Dr. Harris framed his opposition in terms of fairness and justice, critics argue his remarks were out of step with regional trends and public sentiment in a country still grappling with the impact of violent crime. Government MPs have emphasised that justice must be fair — but it must also be firm.

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