Shab Don Freed Of Gun Charges, Co-Accused Pleads Guilty

Dancehall producer Linval “Shabba” Thompson Jr., popularly known as Shab Don, walked out of the Home Circuit Court a free man today when all firearm-related charges were dropped against him.

The prosecution offered no evidence against Thompson, 31, while his co-accused Romaro Scott, 22, pleaded guilty. Scott was sentenced to six years and one month for illegal possession of a firearm and sentenced to four years and one month for illegal possession of ammunition.

Both sentences will run concurrently.

Both Thompson and Scott had been charged for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition following the stop and search conducted in Old Harbour, St. Catherine, on October 14 last year. The gun was reportedly found in a car both men were traveling in at the time of their arrest, however, Scott claimed that the firearm belonged to him.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force, working in conjunction with its international law enforcement partners, had established that the gun is the property of the Atlanta Police department and had been reported stolen in 2018.

Prosecutors had also claimed that Thompson Jr. offered a two million dollar bribe to a cop before members of the Specialized Operations SWAT team searched the car and found the gun.  On November 10, he was slapped with a new charge of breaching the Corruption Prevention Act, stemming from the alleged bribe offer.

That matter will be called before the Corporate Area parish court in May.

Shab Don is known for his hybrid trap-dancehall productions such as Vybz Kartel’s World Government, Bad Mind on the One Don riddim and Any Weather, which was the first single to be released on his most renowned riddim, the G6ixx.

Thompson, who is one-half of the Shab Don Records team alongside Carlos Clarke, also produced Teejay’s Shub Out and Henny and Weed and Squash’s Money Fever.

Shab Don is also the son of reggae singer Linval Thompson.