A miner accused of having in his possession an unlicensed gun and a quantity of unlicensed ammunition was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
The allegation against Steve Henriques is that on January 20 at White Creek, Port Kaituma, North West District, he had in his possession one 9 mm semi-automatic pistol without a licence. On the same day also, Henriques is accused of having in his possession nine rounds of 9 mm ammunition without a licence.
The 45-year-old miner who resides at Port Kaituma, North West District, pleaded not guilty to both charges when they were read to him by the magistrate at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
In giving the facts of the case, Prosecutor Stephen Telford told the court that on the day in question, a mobile police patrol saw the accused collect a bag from another man who then ran away.
The prosecutor said the police became suspicious and approached the accused and enquired about the bag he had just collected from the man who ran away.
Telford related to the court that the defendant told the lawmen that he had thrown the bag away. The court then heard that the police conducted a search of the defendant’s home where they found the bag, containing the items mentioned in the charge, under his bed.
Attorney-at-law Mark Waldron, who represented the accused, told the court however that his client was innocent of the charges for which he stands accused. The lawyer questioned why the man who allegedly dropped off the bag and ran away had not been arrested.
Waldron argued that at no time were the alleged weapon and ammunition found on his client’s person.
The attorney then made an application for his client to be admitted to reasonable bail on the grounds that he has no antecedents, poses no risk of flight, has a fixed address and has been cooperating with police investigations.
However, the magistrate informed the accused that he would be remanded to prison. His matter was transferred to the Matthew’s Ridge Magistrates’ Court for February 1.
