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Kareem A. Durante aka Blocker gets 7 years prison sentence

- family insists Durante is a good person who wants to turn over a new leaf
Kareem A. Durante aka Blocker was remanded to prison for firearm and ammunition possession charges and is now imprisoned at her Majesty's Prison in Balsam Ghut after being found guilty. Photo: VINO/File
Kareem A. Durante aka ‘Blocker’ was shot on May 16, 2016 at Long Bay beach, Beef Island. Photo: Team of Reporters
Kareem A. Durante aka ‘Blocker’ was shot on May 16, 2016 at Long Bay beach, Beef Island. Photo: Team of Reporters
Kareem A. Durante aka Blocker (left) on August 29, 2014 graduated from HM Prison's Anger Management Programme. Photo: VINO/File
Kareem A. Durante aka Blocker (left) on August 29, 2014 graduated from HM Prison's Anger Management Programme. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - Less than a month after he was shot while at a social event on Beef Island, Kareem A. Durante aka Blocker was remanded to prison for firearm and ammunition possession charges and is now imprisoned at her Majesty's Prison in Balsam Ghut after being found guilty.

He received seven years for the fire arm possession charge and six months for the possession of ammunitions charge.

Durante was sentenced recently by Magistrate Ayana Baptist-DaBreo who told him that his previous convictions erased the possibility of any consideration of her imposing a non-custodial sentence. This she said as his mother in a previous court appearance pleaded with the court to be lenient with her son.

The mother had told the court that her home was search several times before and never did police officers find any firearm. In this instance her son had feared for his life as he was shot, resulting in him being hospitalised in a serious condition on May 16, 2016.

Police uncovered a 99mm handgun and a 45 caliber handgun, along with ammunition, at the residence of Durante while conducting investigations into the disappearance of Devern Stanley aka Snoopy who was then reported missing. Stanley has since been found dead.

A cry from the heart

A relative close to Durante, in discourse with this news site, said the family is saddened by Blocker’s misfortunes. She said it was pointed out in court back in 2010, during his sentencing for armed robbery, Justice Rita Joseph-Olivetti had said in a social inquiry report that he Durante was a young man crying out for help at an early age. He was 21 years of age at that time.

“My cousin was so prepared to take his life in a different direction. He is a very loving and lovable persons. He has a very good heart and he was among the top ones who graduated from the partnership for peace programme while he was previously in prison,” said the relative.

Durante was among nine other inmates who completed a sixteen-week Partnership for Peace course at Her Majesty's Prison.

Following the graduation ceremony, Durante had challenged young men not to get involved in anything that would land them in prison as it was not a good place to be. “Stop the violence and robberies, choose to work hard and for an honest dollar. It will help in the end,” he had said.

“He back there now is really hard for him. He is not happy. He is taking it really hard and we are praying from him because he is really a good guy. He wants good for his life but these thing keep following him. I don’t know why. I pray God hears his heart’s cry,” the relative told this news site.

29 Responses to “Kareem A. Durante aka Blocker gets 7 years prison sentence”

  • My girl (25/09/2016, 10:54) Like (34) Dislike (17) Reply
    The other in the pic should be there with him
    • tretretrete (25/09/2016, 11:57) Like (22) Dislike (1) Reply
      Keep telling yourselves he is a good person then maybe it might come through. The truth is he is where he should really be. He is a menace to society. What you need to do is ask him to pray and confess his sins cause since came out he sinned too many times.
      • Correction (25/09/2016, 13:31) Like (13) Dislike (2) Reply
        You is right with what you good.. I'm a family member and if he is a good person. How he just release from the jail few months ago for arm robbery and gone back in for guns what good is him..He good where is right now.
      • Hmm (26/09/2016, 08:53) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
        SMH, I guess he asked to get shoot. Those anger management classes went flying out the window!
  • am i seeing properly? (25/09/2016, 12:11) Like (11) Dislike (10) Reply
    Did myron endorsed this guy? woy! woy! woy!
    • @ am i seeing properly? (25/09/2016, 15:42) Like (3) Dislike (2) Reply
      you can stay that again
    • Stopthehate! (26/09/2016, 09:49) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
      Can't you see the guy complete a course at prison? Stop putting your negatives on Myron. What he did to you and your family, eh? Stop the hate on our people ah say. You aint hating on all the people coming here and taking our people's jobs, you are not hating on the 'mount of Peenoes here taking our jobs, you are not hating on the people who isolate themselves in a corner, but you quick to cut down one of our own. Pray for the man from piling this hate on people. It will be the ruination of this country if descendants of Africans don't learn to unite. Mine Eh!
  • Yes (25/09/2016, 12:12) Like (12) Dislike (5) Reply
    "birds of a feather flock together"
  • santa send he (25/09/2016, 12:15) Like (11) Dislike (3) Reply
    Anger management my @$$, somebody is giving out fake documents for political mileage.
  • life over (25/09/2016, 12:21) Like (8) Dislike (1) Reply
    7 yrs. Wow. Then again we need to eradicate Guns. The last time I checked bullets fall under the explosive act and the punishment is much stiffer than the Gun.. So he get away easy... But 7 yrs. Is a long time..
  • Citizen (25/09/2016, 12:49) Like (9) Dislike (0) Reply
    Young man you only have one person to fear and it's God. It's high time for you to make better choices for general to come and most of all your family.
  • Who so ever here my voice harden not your heart (25/09/2016, 13:36) Like (6) Dislike (3) Reply
    He right where part he belongs in jail..When you play a gangster you end up lock down..I did about change for you right now. The neighborhood is safe now..Ask the Lord forgiveness for all of your sins and those you did not confess.
  • Snoppy (25/09/2016, 13:54) Like (13) Dislike (0) Reply
    Just like water turn into wine his seven will turn into life behind bars
    • There you go (25/09/2016, 17:49) Like (13) Dislike (1) Reply
      Yes Snoop, say it from the grave. You are gone but............ is going to join him soon for a life of hell in prison........you can run, dip and hide but soon just soon KARMA is going to scratch up your back. #KARMA DON'T NEED A POSTAGE STAMP OR A ADDRESS TO FIND YOU. Remember that.

      • streets (25/09/2016, 21:32) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
        Dude, free your mind and the rest will follow. How can you sleep at nights dude? Dude is going to start seeing and hearing things soon. Like I said free your mind and get it over with. You got 7 years to think about what you know you did.
      • dude (26/09/2016, 10:28) Like (2) Dislike (1) Reply
        The whole thing is unfortunate. Does Snoop get a pass for trying to kill him at the beach? What goes around comes around. Our young people are plagued by bad examples set in our communities. Hopefully the youngsters see and learn the lessons being taught.
  • To bad (25/09/2016, 15:36) Like (8) Dislike (0) Reply
    He is right where he is suppose to be. He is one of a hundred more who took advantage and use the system for his own personal reasons. Ok, you get caught up in a sautation, learn from that. Yeah, he might be a good person and have a good heart but, there is some type of inner badness. Not saying he is but, some of the most nicest and good people is demons. You can see a persons face but, you cannot see their heart or what they are thinking.
  • grench (25/09/2016, 15:38) Like (8) Dislike (1) Reply
    He is better off where he is.
  • dude (25/09/2016, 17:01) Like (3) Dislike (7) Reply
    No one tries to understand until it's them or their family. Anyone who gets shot here gets a gun b/c the police can't stop you from getting shot. He doesn't know me but I know him & his family, and they are right he's not a bad guy, but prison doesn't teach how to socialize back into society. The mindset developed in prison takes a long time to shake off on the outside especially in a society like ours. I feel sorry for him b/c this is the 2nd time he got caught up in circumstances and he has to make smarter choices it's true but he does deserve a chance at life like the rest of us. While he's locked away more crimes will continue he wasn't responsible for them just never learned how to avoid them and that's what's sad.
    • gogo (26/09/2016, 07:31) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply
      you say you know him but you dont, this guy is a criminal.
    • night rider (26/09/2016, 10:50) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
      You feel sorry for him? If you had gotten in his way do you think he would have felt the same for you? Don't you think snoopy deserved a second chance in life to? Snoopy is gone but he is going to turn everyone that had a hand in it upside down. That was real cold what they did to him. Only a mean savage person would do something like that. His @&& is going to be a lifer in prison.
  • @@@@@@ (25/09/2016, 17:57) Like (9) Dislike (1) Reply
    Dude, you reap what you sow. Menace to society. The judge should have given you more time. You were a danger on the streets. You cover your tracks but people know what you did. You might have gotten away with what you did but at least you have to sit in the pokey/jail for seven years but that is better than nothing a long time to process what you did and maybe confess.
  • ()()()()() (25/09/2016, 21:45) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    Confess man and get it over with. Sooner or later, the truth is going to come out. What goes in the wash is going to come out in the rinse.
  • jah (26/09/2016, 08:48) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Jah is thy keeper!
  • the plague (26/09/2016, 09:15) Like (10) Dislike (0) Reply
    R.I.P Tommy R.I.P 13 R.I.P Snoppy them ghost naw go let up
  • Justice4Snoopy (26/09/2016, 10:42) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Watching and waiting!!!!!!!!!!!
  • yeah (26/09/2016, 15:55) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    No one can touch GOD's people. Only people of the devil gets touched.
  • Phantom (26/09/2016, 22:12) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Just hurry up and confess already. Everyone knows what you !!!!!!!!
    and !!!!!!! did. The only thing is, !!!!!!! and !!!!!!! is still walking the streets.
    Karma, Karma, Karma. What goes around comes all the way back around.


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