ALISTAIR Williams and Kefa Small (no addresses given) on Monday pleaded not guilty to a joint charge of being in possession of a firearm without licence, and were remanded to prison by Georgetown Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton. Particulars of their offence are that on August 8 they had in their possession a 20-gauge double-barrel shotgun without either of them being the holder of a firearm licence.
Attorney-at-Law, Lance Ferreira, representing Williams, requested bail for his client, claiming that Williams and the other defendant went into a taxi. The driver stopped during the journey to go into a yard when police appeared and conducted a search.
The lawyer alleged that the gun was found under the driver’s seat, and nothing was found on his client. He added that his client has an unblemished record, and has no knowledge of the alleged firearm.
Attorney-at-Law, Paul Fung-a-Fatt, representing Small, informed the court that his client was a mere passenger in the car. He said his client has no knowledge of the alleged firearm, and that the evidence against his client cannot convict him, since there is no connection between Small and the firearm.
Police Corporal, Simone Payne, prosecuting, objected to either of the duo getting bail, and informed the court that police were following the defendants when they entered the car.
She said that when the car stopped, the police approached it and conducted a search. Williams was found in the back seat of the car, behind the driver, with a haversack on his lap; and Small was in the front seat of the car.
Payne said the firearm was found in the haversack Williams had on his lap, and both men were arrested and charged. She added that Small was arrested because he was earlier in the company of Williams.
Both men were remanded to prison and will next return to court on September 24.