Entertainer Sharon “Ruffian” Peterkin was recently sentenced to 13 years and nine months in prison following her conviction on firearm-related charges in the Gun Court Division of the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston.
Peterkin, 59, was found guilty of illegal possession of a prohibited weapon and unauthorised possession of ammunition. She was arrested in May 2023 after members of the Area Five Fugitive Apprehension Team executed a targeted search of her Portmore, St Catherine, residence. The team, acting on intelligence, discovered a 9mm firearm — with its serial number removed — and a quantity of ganja. Although Peterkin was initially charged in connection with the ganja, she was not tried for any drug offences.
Detective Windell Reid, the investigating officer, told the court that the recovered firearm bore a striking resemblance to the weapon Peterkin had previously been licensed to carry. That firearm had been seized by the Firearm Licensing Authority amid a separate investigation.
Peterkin, who maintained her innocence, took the witness stand in her own defence during the trial, which was presided over by Supreme Court Justice Calys Wiltshire. She testified that she earned a living through a car rental business and clothing sales.
The Area Five Fugitive Apprehension Team — a unit established to pursue high-priority suspects with pending case files — led the operation that led to Peterkin’s arrest. According to Commissioner of Police Dr Kevin Blake, the unit was launched to address the growing number of wanted individuals connected to serious crimes.
According to Jamaica Gleaner, Peterkin reportedly came under the police radar following a high-profile Beryllium robbery in Portmore in 2023, although no charges were laid against her in that case.
The entertainer has had several previous run-ins with the law. In 2016, she was listed as missing on the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s website. It was later revealed, however, that she had been detained by law enforcement authorities in the United States.
At the time, Ruffian explained that she had travelled to New York for an event. While en route to the venue, the individual assigned to pick her up ran a red light, and police later discovered marijuana in the vehicle.
Despite insisting she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, Ruffian was detained by U.S. authorities. She returned to Jamaica in 2017.
