Crown prosecutor Alliston Seale today suggested that accused Richard Delisle Arthur should “count himself fortunate” that he was not before the court on more charges.
Seale made the comments as he presented his closing arguments to the nine-member jury hearing the case against the Maynards, St Peter resident who has pleaded not guilty to possession of 102 rounds of ammunition.
Making reference to the three firearm licences that the accused produced to the No. 5 Supreme Court the Principal Crown Counsel pointed out that Arthur was accused of committing the offence on January 31, 2012.
“[The] licences expired on January 15, 2012 . . . that licence valid? I think the police were very benevolent that they did not charge with him for all the guns and ammunition he had at home . . . all three of them expired on January 15, 2012 . . . so he real lucky . . . . but that’s not what is before the court. He is only before the court for 102 rounds.
“He had no licence for no gun, so obviously he had no licence to carry those 102 rounds which you are asked to deliberate,” Seale said.
The prosecutor also urged the jury to “move away from the smoke and mirrors” and concentrate on the facts when they deliberate on evidence given in the trial against accused.
“This is a unique type of offence in that good character . . . doesn’t have anything to do with it . . . You were in possession and you didn’t have a valid licence that is as simply as it is. So I am not impugning on Mr Arthur’s character . . . I am saying on the day in question he didn’t have a licence for the ammunition that he had in his possession,” he added.
In his submission Queen’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim questioned: “How low will you go, how deep will you have to sink, to get a conviction?”
He also pointed to discrepancies in the evidence of three of the police officers in the case.
“Remember that when you deliberate this matter . . . This is not the type of matter you ought to lightly deliberate on and finding a person guilty on the circumstance [and] evidence that we have heard here. [It] is not something you should lightly do. This maybe the most important decision you make because you may change the course of someone’s life. So when you deliberate take it seriously,” Pilgrim urged the jury.
Justice Randall Worrell will deliver his summation of the case on Wednesday, May 22 following which the jury will deliberate and return its verdict.
The post Ammunition case coming to an end appeared first on Barbados Today.