-had intended to sell weapon – court hears

POLICE Corporal, Shavon Marks, who was fingered in the recent discovery of an AK-47 rifle, was remanded to prison on Tuesday by Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, following his appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
He was charged with the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, to which he pleaded not guilty. The court heard that on February 28, 2017, at Kingston, Georgetown, Marks had one AK-47 rifle without being a licensed firearm holder,and 40 live rounds of 7.62 ammunition.
His lawyer, Bernard DeSantos said that he [Marks] was not in possession of anything and noted that there appears to be a collusion with members of the Guyana Police Force and the local newspapers as it relates to the investigation into the matter. According to the attorney, both the police and some sections of the media had reported that his client had escaped when in fact, Marks received a medical certificate for 14 days sick leave from a doctor.
The lawyer applied for bail on the grounds that his client did not abscond and that he presented himself to the police; neither the weapon nor ammunition was found in his possession.
Meanwhile, Police Prosecutor, Deniro Jones, told the court that the police had received information that Marks was prepared to sell an AK-47 assault rifle and as a result a sting operation was setup.
The court heard that the ranks who conducted the investigation, saw when Marks gave the high powered weapon to an individual, who then placed it inside a vehicle at the Tactical Services Unit Headquarters at Eve Leary. The said vehicle subsequently left the compound but was later intercepted by the ranks who were conducting the operation.
According to the Prosecutor, the driver of the vehicle was questioned by the police and revealed that “he got it [the AK] from a man to sell.”
Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, said she was not convinced of the special circumstances surrounding the defendant’s case and denied bail. Corporal Marks will return to court on March 22, 2017.