Trial continues for gold miner busted with illegal gun, ammo

Jul 20, 2017 News

as seized firearm replaced with toy gun

The trial of gold miner Carl Carter who is accused of being in possession of an illegal .38 pistol and four rounds of matching ammunition continued yesterday before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly.
This was despite a policeman who was called to identify the firearm on March 28, discovered that the weapon he had carried out ballistics test on was replaced with a toy gun.
On October 8, 2016, Carter of Diamond, East Bank Demerara, was arrested and subsequently charged after he was found with a .38 revolver and four matching round of ammunition while he was not the holder of a firearm licence at Palm Court, Main Street, Georgetown.
According to facts, police ranks acting on information entered the premises of the popular night spot where they searched Carter and found the illegal gun and ammunition in his possession. Carter, who is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Stanley Moore, is currently out on bail.
The firearm was submitted to the Crime Laboratory at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters and after examination, it was found to be a firearm by the ballistic expert.
One of the police ranks who examined the weapon signed when he uplifted it from the Brickdam Police Station some time last year.
The rank also signed when he returned the firearm after tests were carried out.
However, when the rank turned up to identify the weapon in court on March 28 it was revealed that it was not the weapon he had tested.
In fact, it was discovered that the original weapon was replaced with a toy gun.
This caused some uproar in the court and police ranks that had access to the firearm were arrested.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum had confirmed that an investigation was launched.
Almost four months later, the original firearm is still to be tendered in court.
Nevertheless, the trial continued yesterday with Police Corporal Detective Derwin Eastman being called to give further evidence.
Corporal Eastman is stationed at the Ruimveldt Police Station. He is the Subordinate Officer (SO) in charge of the Plain Clothes Patrol Section.
Corporal Eastman identified two photographs shown to him by Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh. According to the police witness, one of the photographs depicted the unlicensed .38 firearm with four rounds of matching ammunition.
He said that this was the firearm that was found on the person of Carter.
Corporal Eastman said that the other photograph showed a .32 pistol with its magazine and 12 rounds of .32 rounds of ammunition which was found on Carter and Derwin Bess.
The photographs were later admitted to form part and parcel of the prosecution’s evidence after no objections were raised by Moore.
Under cross examination by Attorney-at-Law Stanley Moore, Corporal Eastman told the court that on the day in question he was on duty and that his “mission” was to locate a suspect who was suspected to have an unlicensed firearm on his person.
The trial continues today.

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