Kingston chef freed of gun charges
Published:Wednesday | April 26, 2023 | 10:08 AM
A Kingston chef who police alleged was seen brandishing an illegal weapon was on Tuesday acquitted of gun charges.
Twenty-five-year-old Rayman Sylvester was found not guilty of illegal possession of a firearm and illegal possession of ammunition following a two-day trial before Justice Carolyn Tie-Powell in the Gun Court.
The trial heard evidence from police witnesses that on December 27, 2021, a team was on foot patrol in Trench Town, Kingston, in an area called Zimbabwe after 5:45 p.m., when Sylvester was seen with the gun.
One of the lawmen, who was leading the team, had reportedly spotted the shirtless defendant walking along the roadway and swinging a black firearm in his hand.
The policeman reportedly alerted his two colleagues and then shouted out to Sylvester to stop and drop the weapon.
The defendant reportedly stopped beside a concrete wall and threw the weapon over the wall.
He was subsequently held by one of the cops, while another reportedly retrieved the weapon, a black Taurus pistol.
When cautioned, Sylvester reportedly said, "A Noki come gimme in a bar and say gwaan go lock it, police ina the place, a him set mi up."
However, according to the police, checks made revealed that there was no one by that name in the community.
Attorney-at-law Shamar Hanson, who represented the defendant said, "The two officers were vigorously cross-examined and at the end of the case the learned judge expressed concern about their credibility as weaknesses in the prosecution's case were exploited due to discrepancies and gaps.
"My client had always maintained his innocence and justice has been served," he added.
Hanson had maintained from the outset that there was no evidence to support the allegations, which he said were based solely on the police's account.
- Tanesha Mundle
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